Spain minister rejects resignation after deadly rail collision

Spain’s transport minister rejected calls to resign after a deadly collision between two trains near Urda in Toledo province, as authorities continued investigating the cause and the government promised a firm response if safety failures or negligence are found. The crash occurred on October 28 on the Madrid-Seville line. Regional authorities reported a provisional toll of 68 deaths and more than 100 injured. Castilla-La Mancha’s government said 44 people died aboard the Iryo train and 24 aboard a Renfe AVE service. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a failure in the LZB train-control system preceded the collision. In his preliminary account, controllers allowed trains to resume normal speed while the Iryo train remained stopped on the track. He said the reason the Iryo train could not continue was not yet clear. Those comments are not findings of the investigation. Puente said the LZB system had failed 170 times during the year. He said investigators would examine controller decisions, protocols and railway infrastructure. Judicial authorities, railway investigators and the transport ministry are working to establish what happened, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. Sánchez...