Urda: government prepares an aid decree for victims

According to RTVE, citing government sources, the Council of Ministers is expected on Tuesday to approve a royal decree with aid for those affected by the train crash near Urda (Toledo): 69 dead, with 41 injured still in hospital, 16 of them in intensive care.

After the Council of Ministers, Transport Minister Óscar Puente will hold a press conference and, in the evening, appear before Congress at his own request. For comparison, RTVE recalls that after the Adamuz crash on 18 January (46 dead), the government approved a decree nine days later with compensation of just over €210,000 per victim and urgent advances to families. The amount of the new aid has not yet been announced.

The government does not rule out measures aimed at restoring confidence in high-speed rail; Pedro Sánchez himself admitted that this trust is “broken”. The opposition is demanding Puente’s resignation, which the minister rules out, all in the run-up to the general election on 29 November. Costa Blanca residents who travel to Madrid by AVE or Ouigo should watch Tuesday’s decisions, as they may also affect how the lines operate.