Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on Tuesday, six days after a high-speed train smashed into the back of a stationary train near the town of Urda, south of Madrid, killing at least 69 people and injuring dozens.
Puente announced his decision in Congress at the end of a lengthy session on the disaster. "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," he said, referring to a January crash on the same line that killed 46 people. He also withdrew his name from the candidate lists for the early general election.
The October 28 collision was one of the worst rail disasters in Europe's modern history and Spain's deadliest since 2013. The train run by state operator Renfe was carrying 397 passengers, while the stationary train run by private operator Iryo had 147 on board. According to sources, a computer failure in the automatic signalling system had forced all trains on the stretch to halt.
The opposition People's Party and far-right Vox, along with some government allies, had demanded his resignation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised Puente for stepping aside "out of dignity, of his own accord, out of respect for the victims". The resignation comes ahead of early general elections on November 29.