Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, says the evidence points to a mistake in a Madrid control room. He spoke on Friday about Wednesday's crash near Urda, in Toledo province, where a Renfe AVE train hit an Iryo train that had stopped on the line. Officials say 69 people died, and the toll could rise, the Guardian, Euronews and the AP reported.

"I won't use a worker as a shield," Puente said at a news conference, the AP reported. But he added that "the information points to a mistake in the control center." Euronews said Puente described screens at the Atocha control centre that showed the two trains on the same section of track.

The AP laid out the timeline as officials describe it. The LZB signal system on the line went down about 22 minutes before the crash, and staff took manual control. The AVE was then cleared to move on while the Iryo train, 25 km ahead, could not restart. Investigators' first findings put the AVE's speed at 160 to 200 kph. Puente said the system has gone offline 170 times this year.

Rail unions pushed back. "We believe (the minister) is blaming a mere worker who was working under increasingly poor conditions," said Raquel Ayllón of the SCF controllers union, the AP reported.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said "trust in high-speed rail has been broken," the Guardian reported. Puente refused to step down. Euronews said a newer signal system for the line has been pushed back to early 2027. Black boxes have gone to the Civil Guard, and a judge is investigating, the AP said.

Regional leader Emiliano García-Page spoke of 70 missing-person reports, Euronews said. Euronews put the number of victims identified at 13, and the AP at five. More than 100 people were hurt. Euronews said 39 remain in hospital, 17 of them in intensive care.

What we know: Officials say 69 people died, and the minister blames a control-room error while refusing to resign.
What we don't: How many victims have been identified, and what the official crash inquiry will find.