Óscar Puente announced his resignation as Spain’s transport minister during a congressional session, six days after a high‑speed train collision near Urda that resulted in at least 69 deaths and numerous injuries.

In the same address, he said he was also withdrawing his name from the candidate lists for the early legislative elections scheduled for late November.

The crash involved a Renfe‑operated train striking a stationary Iryo train and is recorded as Spain’s worst rail disaster since 2013 and one of the deadliest in recent European history.

Investigators identified a failure in the automatic signalling system that had halted all trains on the line, yet the Renfe train received clearance to proceed under a backup “Lateral Signalling Block” while the Iryo train remained stopped on the same track.

The main opposition parties, the People’s Party and Vox, called for Puente’s resignation, arguing that the minister must be held accountable for a rail system that the public now regards as unsafe.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commended Puente for confronting the situation, offering answers and solutions, and then stepping aside, adding that the decision was made out of respect for the victims.