Key facts
- Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated he will not resign over the rail disaster.
- At least 69 people died in the collision near Toledo, Spain.
- The Renfe train was traveling at high speed when it hit a stationary Iryo train.
- A computer failure had halted trains shortly before the crash.
- Leaked audio suggests a train was cleared to move despite a stalled train ahead.
- This is Spain's worst rail crash since 2013 and follows a similar incident in January.
Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, has stated he will not resign following a deadly high-speed rail collision that killed at least 69 people. Speaking at a news conference in Madrid, Puente said his priority is to resolve the problem and that he has "nothing to hide." He acknowledged that many questions need to be answered regarding the incident, which occurred when a state-operated Renfe train smashed into a stationary Iryo train near Toledo. A preliminary report indicated the Renfe train was traveling at high speed when the crash happened. This tragedy follows a similar collision on the same route in January that resulted in 46 fatalities. Puente attributed the initial halt of trains to a computer failure and described the subsequent decision to allow them to move again without speed restrictions as "inexplicable."