The father of a young man killed in the Toledo rail disaster has called on the transport minister to take responsibility in a devastating open letter.
Malaga-born David Reina, 22, a Renfe mechanic, was the youngest of the 69 people killed in the collision near Urda on October 28.
His father, Pedro Jesus Reina, described the anguish of losing a son who had only recently achieved his dream of joining the railway workforce.
‘My upbringing prevents me from addressing you in the terms that my current grief dictates,’ he wrote to Puente.
He asked the minister to put his hand on his heart and consider whether it was fair that he was now ‘looking after the ashes of that same young man, my son’.
Reina blamed what he described as poor management by the ministry and accused it of failing to provide sufficient resources to modernise and renew railway infrastructure.
He blasted Puente for ‘not having allocated the necessary resources to upgrade and renew infrastructure that was already falling apart at the seams’.
‘I don’t want to get worked up,’ he added, restraining himself, before claiming ‘we learned nothing’ from the Adamuz train disaster at the start of the year.
He also condemns ‘so many tragedies that could have been avoided if funds allocated to so many areas and services had been properly managed – services that are in a terrible state, such as roads’.
His intention, he clarifies, is not to ‘get into political judgments’, before adding: ‘Get on with what you need to do and stop looking upwards to see what your own boss tells you to do… take responsibility once and for all.’
The letter also described the family’s 72-hour wait before receiving confirmation that David had died.
Reina thanked the professionals and volunteers who supported relatives at the El Buen Pastor centre in Toledo, where families gathered while awaiting news.
But he criticised Puente for not visiting the centre during their wait.
‘You did not have the courage to come by, even for a little while,’ he wrote.
David’s family has also received support from Malaga motorcycle club Locos por la Gasolina, whose members know his father as Peter.
The club paid tribute to David and offered its support to his loved ones after days of uncertainty.
‘We held on to hope until the very last moment, but unfortunately it was not the ending we all wanted,’ a spokesperson told Málaga Hoy.
In a social media tribute, the club said there were no words capable of easing the suffering of a father who loses his son.
It added: ‘We want Peter and his whole family to know they are not alone.’
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
