Appeal by rail chiefs over fatal Santiago crash upheld
Five employees of state rail infrastructure company Adif will not be officially named as suspects
The A Coruña provincial High Court has quashed the decision of the judge investigating July's fatal rail crash in Santiago to officially name as suspects five employees of state rail infrastructure company Adif.
According to judicial sources, the appeals lodged by the national rail safety chief, the person responsible for safety in the northwest, the chief inspector of lines in the same area and two subordinates of the latter have been upheld. The ruling cannot be appealed by investigating magistrate Luis Aláez. In light of the ruling, it is likely that appeals by Adif's 22 board members against their implication will also be upheld.
The crash on the Santiago-Ourense line left 79 people dead. To date, only the train driver has been formally accused of a crime.