Trial begins of two accused in 2013 Spanish train disaster that killed 80

MADRID – A Spanish practice driver and a former head of visitors security at nationwide rail-infrastructure operator Adif went to trial on Wednesday over their function in a practice catastrophe that killed 80 folks in the summertime of 2013.

Within the nation’s worst rail accident in many years, one other 145 folks have been injured when the eight-carriage, high-speed Alvia 04155 practice veered off the monitor on a pointy bend close to the northernwestern Spanish metropolis of Santiago de Compostela, slamming right into a concrete wall and bursting into flames.

The prosecutor is asking for each defendants to be imprisoned for 4 years and disqualified from their professions. They're charged with 80 offences of manslaughter by gross skilled negligence, 145 offences of harm and one offence of damages.

The Rail Accident Investigation Fee, which is underneath the Transport Ministry, concluded in a report that the accident was attributable to rushing and the driving force, Francisco Jose Garzon, being distracted by a name from a superior.

Nevertheless, the Affiliation of Victims of Alvia 04155, considered one of two organisations representing the victims, blame the accident not solely on human error but additionally on the railway’s safety techniques.

Garzon’s lawyer, Manuel Prieto, informed reporters on Wednesday that there have been security flaws on the railway. Neither Adif’s former head of visitors security, Andres Cortabitarte, nor his representatives commented on the case. He beforehand informed a parliamentary fee in 2018 that he was not accountable for the security of the road in query.

Earlier this week, members of the affiliation protested in entrance of the Spanish parliament in Madrid requesting justice.

“There are people who find themselves now not right here, they've handed away. There'll by no means be justice for them,” spokesman Jesus Dominguez informed nationwide broadcaster TVE on Wednesday earlier than the trial began.

The proceedings, held in a cultural centre in Santiago de Compostela, are anticipated to final months with greater than 700 witnesses and specialists taking the stand.