Minister Óscar Puente to appear before parliament over Urda rail crash

The accident and the minister's first response

A railway accident at Urda, in the province of Toledo, has left at least 69 people dead, according to Europa Press. Óscar Puente spoke to reporters on Wednesday, hours after the crash, and ruled out resigning. He described the collision as a rear-end crash on the Spanish rail network and said his focus was on clarifying what happened and resolving it. He put his view in these words:

“A rear-end collision on the Spanish rail network is truly unbelievable.”

On Wednesday, 28 October, Puente had pointed to human error by an operator at the Adif control centre at Atocha station, according to La Vanguardia.

Request to appear before parliament

Ministry sources said Puente will ask to appear before the Diputación Permanente of the Congress of Deputies at his own request. The standing committee is the body that remains active in Congress since the Cortes were dissolved ahead of an early election. No date for the appearance has been set yet. Sumar, ERC and Podemos had already asked for the minister to testify, and ABC reports that Sumar, now called Frente Amplio, made its demand on Thursday morning. El Periódico adds that the PNV joined the questioning of the government.

Opposition calls for political accountability

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded that the government assume political responsibilities for the accident. According to eldiario.es, Feijóo did not specify which responsibilities should be taken or who should take them. He made his remarks to reporters during a visit to the crash site on Wednesday, saying:

“Political responsibilities cannot be assumed once an investigation has ended. In my opinion, political responsibilities are not optional, they are essential.”

On Thursday morning, PP campaign spokesperson Borja Sémper said the matter goes beyond Óscar Puente and that there is a higher responsibility. The PNV also questioned the government's handling. Its spokesperson in Madrid and list head in the elections, Maribel Vaquero, said:

“If Sánchez acknowledges that it is unacceptable, technical and political responsibilities will have to be assumed at the highest level.”

What comes next

Puente will hold a new press conference on Friday, 30 October, which the ministry says is meant to keep the public fully informed about the accident. His appearance before the Diputación Permanente is still to be dated. Ministry sources have described the request as made at the minister's own initiative. The sequence of statements and requests from the past two days is set out in the chart below.