Croatia detains five in train crash inquiry

Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:16am EDT

ZAGREB, July 29 (Reuters) - Five people have been detained on suspicion of responsibility for last week's Croatian train crash in which six people died and 55 were injured, police and court sources said late on Tuesday.

"They will now appear before an investigating judge," the county court in the southern Adriatic city of Split said.

Police said the detainees were suspected of professional misconduct relating to the improper use of a flame-retardant liquid on the track which prevented the train from braking. Initially, eight people were arrested for interrogation.

Two foreigners were among the dead in the country's worst train accident since independence in 1991. The train was on the way from the capital Zagreb to Split when it derailed some 30 km (20 miles) from Split.

Those detained include officials of the state railway company Hrvatske Zeljeznice (HZ) and employees of the company that sold the liquid to HZ.

Transport Minister Bozidar Kalmeta said the state would offer financial compensation to the families of the dead and to all the train's passengers.

He said the top HZ officials in charge of the railway infrastructure had been relieved of their duties. (Reporting by Igor Ilic, edited by Tim Pearce)



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