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Spain protesters demand transport minister Puente's resignation after train crash
More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the Transport Ministry in Madrid after a high-speed train crash in Spain killed 68 people and demanded the resignation of Transport Minister Óscar Puente. Police intervened with pepper spray and batons, while Puente said he would not resign.
A protest was held outside the Transport Ministry in the capital Madrid after 68 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Spain's Toledo province. Europa Press reported that more than 1,000 protesters demanded the resignation of Transport Minister Óscar Puente.
Protesters chanted, "We do not want another death on our tracks" and "Óscar Puente, the minister of death," and also chanted against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Unions and youth organizations called for the protest, which was also attended by members of the far-right Vox party.
Police use pepper spray against protesters
After protesters threw a flare and various objects, police intervened against the crowd at around 8:30 p.m. local time. Riot police used batons, pepper spray and tear-gas grenades; smoke spread to businesses in the area, and the windshield of a vehicle was damaged.
A helicopter also flew over the area while the police intervention continued. Europa Press reported that the protest was dispersed at around 9:30 p.m.
Puente: I will not resign
Transport Minister Puente said he would not resign. Puente said that an LZB failure affecting approximately 63 kilometers of the line occurred at around 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the crash, and that several computers experienced communication problems. He said the control center of Adif, the infrastructure operator that had taken over traffic management, allowed a train to resume its journey. Puente said, "We are absolutely devastated."
The public employees' union CSIF called for Puente's resignation, accusing him of making Adif's traffic official a "scapegoat" while the investigation had not yet begun. Vox also filed a complaint against Adif officials on charges of negligent homicide.
Three-day national mourning continues
The crash occurred when a Renfe AVE train on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line hit an Iryo train from behind while it was stopped on the track. Prime Minister Sánchez had declared three days of official national mourning from October 29 to 31. The crash was Spain's second major high-speed train disaster this year, following the accident in Adamuz in January that killed 45 people.
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