Spain's transport minister refuses to resign over high-speed rail disaster

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Spain's transport minister refuses to resign as train crash death toll stands at 69

On Friday, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he will not resign despite calls to step down over the collision of two high-speed trains earlier in the week, which has killed at least 69 people. Reports say the crash has reshaped the campaign for the November 29 snap election, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defending his government's safety record. The death toll was put at 64 on Wednesday and at least 69 by Thursday, when 15 of the injured were in intensive care.

• Puente faces calls to resign and says he will not step down.
• The crash has shifted the November 29 election campaign from housing toward security and the government's safety record.
• Recordings appear to show one train was cleared to move although another ahead had stalled; the minister called the operators' decision "inexplicable".
• King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited injured people at Toledo University Hospital on Thursday.