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Austria Now News – Madrid
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday evening, 3 November 2026, after two railway disasters in less than a year claimed a total of 115 lives, the Austrian newspaper Heute reported, citing Reuters.
Announcement before lawmakers
The minister told members of parliament that he no longer saw any other option after the two accidents. According to Reuters, he said: “A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of such severity in less than a year.”
He added that he had initially continued in his duties in order to deal with the aftermath of the latest disaster and take the necessary measures, but he did not specify a date for leaving the government.
Two disasters in less than a year
On Wednesday, 28 October, 69 people were killed in a collision between two high-speed trains in the region of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain.
Last January, a high-speed train derailed near Adamuz in Andalusia and collided with an oncoming train, killing 46 people.
Mounting pressure
The two accidents sparked widespread criticism of Spain’s Transport Ministry, and calls for Puente’s resignation grew louder in recent days, before the minister announced that he was taking political responsibility.
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Sources
Heute – 115 Tote – Spaniens Verkehrsminister tritt zurück – 03.11.2026 – heute.at (unter Berufung auf Reuters)
