13 years after the train accident in the Tuscan coastal town of Viareggio, which killed 32 people, two Austrian executives were sentenced on Thursday to several years in prison. They had to answer for, among other things, wrongful death and causing a fire disaster. In the accident in 2009, a freight train derailed and one of the tank wagons exploded.
Austrian Johannes Mansbart, ex-boss of the Vienna-based company GATX Rail Austria GmbH – owner of the derailed and exploded tank car – was sentenced to five years and four months. Mansbart left the company in 2019. At the time of the accident, Austrian manager Roman Mayer was responsible for GATX Rail Austria’s fleet of freight trains. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
Former state railroad boss convicted
There were a total of 16 suspects at the trial. Some of them were also accused of violating safety regulations. Three defendants were acquitted. Mario Moretti, former boss of the Italian State Railways (FS), has been sentenced to five years in prison.
The two Austrians were sentenced to eight years in prison in 2019. Ex-Bahn boss Moretti was sentenced to seven years in prison. They then appealed the conviction to the Supreme Court. His decision to restart the appeals process is seen as a victory for the defendants. The appeals procedure in Florence has been ongoing since March last year.
Worst train accident in 20 years
On June 29, 2009, the freight train derailed in the immediate vicinity of Viareggio station, causing one of the tankers filled with LPG to explode. The explosion and the ensuing major fire caused severe damage in the city center. About 1,000 people had to be taken to safety. Houses collapsed, cars caught fire. The cause of the accident may have been a crack in a wheel, it was the worst train accident in Italy in more than 20 years.
Source: Krone
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