Wire reporting: (AFP, via BBC)

Spain's transport minister, Oscar Puente, told Congress on Tuesday that he would resign, six days after a high-speed train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, that killed at least 69 people and injured dozens¹.

He said a transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year, also pointing to a deadly crash in January in Andalusia^1,2.

BBC reported the Oct. 28 crash happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train hit the back of a stationary train run by Iryo¹.

Puente spoke at the end of a session in which he outlined new rail safety measures and faced opposition questions¹. He said he decided immediately after the disaster but waited several days to announce it¹. DW, citing AFP and Reuters, said he did not say when he would leave².

Opposition parties and some government allies had called on him to step down¹. Spanish media published leaked audio of talks between drivers and a Madrid control center minutes before the crash; three tapes appeared to show one high-speed train cleared to move while another had stalled about 25 kilometers (15 miles) ahead¹.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said authorities will examine every detail of the tragedy, according to BBC¹. Independent technical findings have not been published in the accounts reviewed here^1,2.

What remains unknown includes the full cause of the collision, whether control-center procedures will change, who will replace Puente and the exact date he leaves office^1,2.