Spain's transport minister refuses to resign after deadly train crash

Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has said he will not resign following a railway disaster in Toledo province that killed 74 people, according to the newspaper El País. He made the statement at a press conference when asked about a possible resignation.

Puente said he shares the government's concern over two deadly accidents in less than a year, but argued that leaving would be the easiest solution. He has repeatedly stressed that he would consider resigning only if Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thought it appropriate.

The minister's explanation

Puente told reporters he was a "very insignificant person" within the political project he belongs to. His current task, he said, is to fix the shortcomings that have been identified and to restore passengers' trust in the railways.

He rejected suggestions that he was shifting responsibility for the crash onto railway employees. He said he would not use any worker as a shield, and called for the investigation to be handled "strictly and proportionately".

Circumstances of the crash

The two trains collided on the morning of 28 October near the town of Urda in Toledo province. More than 540 people were aboard the two trains in total. The preliminary cause may have been human error in responding to a failure of the signalling system. According to the latest figures, 74 people died.

As reported earlier, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez continues to back Puente, who has become the focus of criticism after the crash.