Minister of death: Anti-govt protests erupt in Spain after train collision kills 68, demonstrators clash with cops
The collision involved two Spanish high-speed trains, leaving at least 68 people dead and dozens injured. The tragedy has raised fresh questions about railway safety in Spain.
PTC News Desk: Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Spain’s Transport Ministry, demanding the resignation of Transport Minister Oscar Puente following a high-speed train collision that killed at least 68 people.
The demonstrators raised slogans calling Puente the “minister of death” as police moved to control the protest.
The demonstration took place as rescue workers continued searching through the wreckage after Wednesday’s collision in Urda, south of Madrid. The crash was Spain’s second deadly rail accident this year and Europe’s deadliest train disaster since 2013.
The state-owned railway infrastructure company Adif then took manual control of the system and allowed the Renfe train to continue despite a red signal, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said. He described the decision as “inexplicable”.
The CSIF trade union urged the government to allow the investigation to proceed fairly and respect the presumption of innocence of Adif’s head of traffic. It accused Puente of blaming a railway employee instead of taking responsibility for the incident. The union also said it had warned the government in September about excessive working hours at Adif.
Calls for the transport minister to resign grew as anger over the deadly train crash spread through Madrid on Wednesday night.
According to reports, around 500 people gathered outside the Transport Ministry. Some protesters allegedly threw bottles and flares at police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Demonstrators demanded the resignation of government officials and held signs with messages such as “Leave!”, “Criminals” and “Corruption kills”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also faced several political challenges and corruption scandals involving people close to him this year.
Trains collision kills 68
The collision involved two Spanish high-speed trains, leaving at least 68 people dead and dozens injured. The tragedy has raised fresh questions about railway safety in Spain.
Rescue operations continued overnight on Wednesday, October 28, as emergency teams searched the damaged trains for more victims. Officials were seen examining the wreckage and carrying a body wrapped in a blanket from one of the trains. Two cranes were also brought in to support the rescue work.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a televised address near the accident site that the entire country was mourning. He described the crash as a “terrible tragedy” and promised a full investigation. He added that any failures discovered during the investigation would be addressed.
Sánchez said the two fatal rail accidents that occurred in Spain this year appeared to have different causes. He also promised to strengthen safety measures if necessary to restore public confidence in the country’s high-speed rail network.
Meanwhile, the opposition People’s Party cancelled all its campaign events for the day ahead of next month’s election.
Signal failure under investigationÂ
Transport Minister Ă“scar Puente said the crash occurred after a Renfe train was allowed to continue its journey despite an active red signal, with another train stationary ahead.
Investigators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the signal and the events that led to the collision to determine the cause of the disaster.