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In
the country's worst rail accident in decades, another 145 people
were injured when the eight-carriage, high-speed Alvia 04155
train veered off the track on a sharp bend near the
northernwestern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, slamming
into a concrete wall and bursting into flames.
The prosecutor is asking for both defendants to be imprisoned
for four years and disqualified from their professions. They are
charged with 80 offences of manslaughter by gross professional
negligence, 145 offences of injury and one offence of damages.
The Rail Accident Investigation Commission, which is under the
Transport Ministry, concluded in a report that the accident was
caused by speeding and the driver, Francisco Jose Garzon, being
distracted by a call from a superior.
However, the Association of Victims of Alvia 04155, one of two
organisations representing the victims, blame the accident not
only on human error but also on the railway's security systems.
Garzon's lawyer, Manuel Prieto, told reporters on Wednesday that
there were safety flaws on the railway. Neither Adif's former
head of traffic safety, Andres Cortabitarte, nor his
representatives commented on the case. He previously told a
parliamentary commission in 2018 that he was not responsible for
the safety of the line in question.
Earlier this week, members of the association protested in front
of the Spanish parliament in Madrid requesting justice.
"There are people who are no longer here, they have passed away.
There will never be justice for them," spokesman Jesus Dominguez
told national broadcaster TVE on Wednesday before the trial
started.
The proceedings, held in a cultural centre in Santiago de
Compostela, are expected to last months with more than 700
witnesses and experts taking the stand.
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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