Urda train collision leaves at least 69 dead as Vox targets minister Puente

The collision and the toll

A Renfe train and an Iryo train collided near Urda in Toledo province on Wednesday, 28 October, and the figures reported on Thursday put the death toll at at least 69. Summa 112 activated a psychosocial attention point at Atocha station in Madrid, where 155 family members and 41 passengers had come by 8.30 on Thursday, 29 October. One passenger was taken to the Hospital de la Princesa. At the crash site, 86 passengers were treated and 83 of them were moved into Castilla-La Mancha's healthcare network.

Political fallout

Vox has filed a complaint at the Supreme Court against Transport Minister Óscar Puente for alleged reckless homicide and injuries, arguing that he failed in his supervisory duties over rail safety. The party asks the court to summon him as a person under investigation and to appoint independent experts, while the investigation of the crash itself sits with a court in Orgaz. Vox spokesperson Isabel Pérez named Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Puente as 'direct authors' of the tragedy and urged voters to remove the government at the general elections on 29 November. PP spokesman Borja Sémper said political responsibility goes beyond Puente and pointed, without naming him, to a 'superior responsibility' in the government.

“Spaniards deserve a rigorous investigation, with no more manoeuvres.”

Manuela Bergerot of Más Madrid demanded transparency and an independent audit of the rail network. Ada Colau, presented as the candidate for president of Spain for Frente Amplio, asked for Puente to appear before the Congress's Comisión Permanente.

Blood donations and Seville tourism

The regional health department said 4,100 people donated blood at points across the Community of Madrid and asked donors to hold off for now. Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso called the response 'impresionante'. The Seville hotel association said cancellations began on Wednesday and that the 84% occupancy it had expected over the three-night All Saints holiday is now uncertain. It describes the blockage of the main Madrid-Seville route until December as a critical scenario, noting 47 daily trains and an average of 10,000 daily travellers on the line. The association estimates that 60% to 70% of high-speed passengers arriving from Madrid usually stay overnight in the city.