site.btaMan Charged for Sofia Tram Derailment
A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with the derailing of a tram in Sofia, Sofia Deputy City Prosecutor Vihar Mihaylov said at a briefing on Wednesday.
The tram went off the tracks in the early hours on Tuesday when the driver left it briefly to buy coffee. There were no passengers at that time.
Mihaylov noted that the man has a prior conviction for theft and was in a probationary period. He was detained for up to 72 hours and the prosecutors will request permanent detention. The man faces imprisonment from five to 15 years upon conviction.
Video camera footage showed that two people were involved in the incident, Mihaylov noted, adding that one of them shifted the gear stick from neutral to drive mode through a side window. Expert examinations are pending, with the driver of the tram also being investigated for a misdemeanor.
Lyubomir Nikolov, Director of the Sofia Directorate of Interior, said that the tram driver had secured the vehicle and closed the passenger door. "Two people tried to get into the tram through the passenger door but after failing, they started the tram through a window that was left open," Nikolov stated.
/MY/
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