MADRID: Spain's transport minister on Thursday accused conservative opposition parties of spreading false claims and fuelling public confusion after a high-speed train collision that killed 45 people.
The January 18 accident near the southern village of Adamuz — one of Europe's deadliest rail disasters this century — has raised questions about the country's rail safety.
The main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP) has accused the Socialist-led government of misrepresenting how fully the line affected by the crash was renewed before the catastrophe.
Far-right party Vox has criticised the government for "criminal incompetence" and alleged underinvestment in maintenance and understaffing.
Addressing the Senate amid shouts of "resign", Transport Minister Oscar Puente defended the government's management of the railway and said the investigation into the cause of the accident would be "absolutely transparent".
He accused the PP and Vox of spreading what he described as false information about the authorities' response and the government's rail safety policies.
"I have read and heard outright absurdities," the minister said, accusing the opposition of "spreading fear" and "fuelling chaos".
A preliminary report released last week suggested the track was cracked before the catastrophe. The final conclusions are not expected for several months.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are scheduled to attend a memorial Mass for the victims on Thursday evening in the southern city of Huelva, the final destination of the train involved in the disaster which suffered the most deaths. — AFP
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