MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine government will act as main plaintiff in train crash investigation

Transport secretary Schiavi and Minister De Vido (Photo Telam)

The Argentine government announced Thursday it would act a plaintiff, in defence of the public interest, in the investigation of the Wednesday train crash that killed 50 people and left over 700 injured.

Furthermore once the courts rule on responsibilities the government of President Cristina Fernandez will decide on the future of the TBA railway concession.

“The national government will act as a lead plaintiff in the investigation of the Sarmineto rail accident in defence of the public interest and in support of the affected families” promised Planning Minister Julio De Vido and Transport Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi in a press conference adding that the government will provide the judicial investigation all the necessary resources.

De Vido said that all 50 fatal victims had been identified and labelled the accident “a tragic and dramatic event the country had to go through. There are no words to describe our pain and in particular the President’s”. The minister also praised the work displayed by police officers, fire-fighters and hospital authorities in the emergency.

“The government will do its utmost to collaborate in support of the quick advance to determine the causes of the accident and once this has been achieved, which we estimate is going to take a relatively short time, then the administrative decision will accompany the judicial investigation with the purpose of safeguarding public interest and to be followed by the implementation of sanctions that may correspond”, insisted De Vido.

Likewise De Vido also made it a point to establish that “both former president Nestor Kirchner and current President Cristina Fernandez have shown that in situations as these there are no ‘cover up or protection schemes’ for anybody, and we will advance and take all the necessary measures that are needed in the framework of the workings of Justice and of the judicial investigation”.

Transport Secretary Schiavi said that the priority is “to move the investigation forward”, adding that “we are working in order to give the judge all of the information he needs in order for this to happen”.

Likewise Schiavi said that “we assume full responsibility of what means a full in depth investigation, so we can collaborate with Justice to help determine causes and damages. Members of Congress have summoned me: that is no problem, but this is not the moment; we are fully concentrated in determining the causes of the accident and provide the Judge all the available information”.