Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday his government would approve a new aid package for victims of the Urda rail collision, as Transport Minister Óscar Puente faces lawmakers over the disaster Tuesday.
The government reported 69 deaths in the Oct. 28 collision and said 34 injured people remained hospitalized Monday. The cabinet plans to approve a decree providing aid equal to twice the compulsory passenger-insurance amounts, along with a mechanism for advance compensation payments.
The proposal would improve temporary incapacity coverage and establish offices to assist victims’ families, the government said. Sánchez said it draws on an aid scheme used after a January collision near Adamuz. That crash, also on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, killed 46 people.
Reuters reported that Puente is scheduled to appear before the Diputación Permanente at 11 a.m. ET (16:00 UTC) to answer questions about his handling of the Urda crash. The parliamentary body carries out limited duties between legislative terms ahead of Spain’s Nov. 29 election.
Puente has rejected calls to resign. Reuters reported that some of those calls came from governing coalition allies. Investigators have not established the cause of the Urda collision.
After Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Puente is expected to present new rail safety measures, Reuters reported.
