Spain's transport minister refuses to resign after high-speed rail crash kills 69

Spain's transport minister Óscar Puente rejected calls to resign on Friday following a high-speed rail collision near Urda, in Toledo province, that killed at least 69 people.

"My duty right now is not to talk about whether I should remain in my position, but to resolve the problem," Puente told a news conference in Madrid.

A preliminary report from transport investigators found the state-operated Renfe train was travelling between 160 km/h and 200 km/h when it struck a stationary Iryo train, causing its front carriage to become embedded in the tail of the other train. Puente said a computer failure at around 08:30 on Wednesday had first halted six moving trains, including both trains involved.

Leaked audio recordings published in Spanish media revealed conversations between train drivers and a Madrid control centre in the minutes before the crash, appearing to show that one train was given clearance to move even though another had stalled roughly 25 km ahead. Puente called the decision to instruct trains to move without speed restrictions "inexplicable".

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said public trust in Spain's high-speed rail network had been broken, describing the crash as "unacceptable" — the second similar tragedy within a year on the Madrid-Seville route. A January collision in Adamuz killed 46 people.

Calls for Puente's resignation have come from political rivals, a trade union, and demonstrators who gathered outside the transport ministry on Wednesday night. Podemos prime ministerial candidate Irene Montero said responsibility should not rest with any single worker.