00:00Spain's transport minister, Oscar Puente, has formally announced his resignation following
00:06the train accident in Urda that left 69 people dead and around 200 injured.
00:12His decision comes after several weeks of mounting pressure and speculation about his
00:16political future.
00:18A transport minister of a country like Spain cannot continue with two accidents of this
00:23severity in less than a year, regardless of whether they have or not a direct responsibility
00:30in them.
00:30It's a matter of political dignity, coherence and empathy with the victims.
00:35My decision, therefore, is a decision of political dignity and, as such, you have to see it.
00:40It's good for the country and it's good for the democracy.
00:43During the session, Puente defended the safety of the Madrid severe high speed line where
00:48the crash happened, but the spokesperson for the Conservative People's Party said the
00:53minister's job is not to explain fatal accidents, it's to prevent them.
00:57Nine months earlier, 46 people were killed after a train derailed on the same line near
01:02Adamus.
01:03In addition, Puente confirmed that he will not be the PSOE party's candidate in the upcoming
01:09general election on November 29th.
