AUSTRIA: AUSTRIAN COURT FIND FOREMAN OF A MINE GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 10 MINERS
Record ID:
648196
AUSTRIA: AUSTRIAN COURT FIND FOREMAN OF A MINE GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 10 MINERS
- Title: AUSTRIA: AUSTRIAN COURT FIND FOREMAN OF A MINE GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 10 MINERS
- Date: 28th June 2000
- Summary: LASSING, AUSTRIA (FILE- JULY 18, 1998) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF MINE DISASTER IN LASSING, WATER FILLED CRATER WITH SUBMERGED HOUSES (5 SHOTS) 0.24 LEOBEN, AUSTRIA (JUNE 28, 2000) (REUTERS) 2. MV ALFRED ZECHLING, ONE OF THE ACCUSED, SHAKING HANDS 0.33 3. MV WOLFGANG WEDRAC, ONE OF THE MAIN ACCUSED, WITH HIS LAWYER, WERNER KRUECKL 0.41 4. MV HERMANN SCHMIDT, ONE OF THE MAIN ACCUSED, WITH HIS LAWYER, JOACHIM LEUPOLD 0.49 5. MV MEMBERS OF THE JURY WALKING INTO COURT ROOM 0.53 6. MV ALFRED ZECHLING, ONE OF THE ACCUSED, WALKING INTO COURT ROOM 1.01 7. MV HANS DIETER FAISSNER, ONE OF THE ACCUSED, WALKING INTO COURTROOM 1.03 8. MV JUDGE ANDREAS HAIDACHER WALKING INTO COURT ROOM 1.08 9. WIDE COURTROOM INTERIOR 1.12 10. MV ACCUSED SITTING IN COURT 1.15 11. MV JOSEF JACHS, ONE OF THE ACCUSED, SITTING IN COURT 1.18 12. MV ACCUSED STANDING UP FOR JUDGE (2 SHOTS) 1.20 13. MV JUDGE ANDREAS HAIDACHER, TALKING TO A COURT OFFICIAL 1.29 14. MV STATE PROSECUTOR REINHARD KLOIBHOFER WITH LAWYERS 1.34 15. SV JUDGE ANDREAS HAIDACHER 1.38 16. LV COURT ROOM INTERIOR 1.47 17. MV WOLFGANG WEDRAC, AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE, WALKING DOWN THE CORRIDOR WITH HIS LAWYER, WERNER KRUECKL 1.54 18. SV (SOUNDBITE) (German) WERNER KRUECKL, LAWYER OF WOLFGANG WEDRAC, SAYING: "We have already appealed." 1.57 19. SV (SOUNDBITE) (German) HERMANN SCHMIDT, AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE, SAYING: "Concerning the point as to whether this event was avoidable, I had hoped the judge would have listened not just to my lawyer but also to the EU Commission -- or at least three of its competent members, who also said an event of this size and enormity could not have been forseen. All private experts also said it was unavoidable. But the two expert witnesses said the opposite and the judge backed them." 2.41 20. MV HERMANN SCHMIDT, ONE OF THE ACCUSED FOUND GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE, WALKING OUT OF COURT 2.46 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 13th July 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LEOBEN AND LASSING, AUSTRIA
- Country: Austria
- Reuters ID: LVA5LBION0PY32HIWJCPR5MTMD5U
- Story Text: An Austrian court has found the foreman of a mine
guilty of negligence that resulted in the deaths of 10 miners
in Austria's worst mining disaster two years ago.
The Leoben court in central Austria on Wednesday (June
28) sentenced the now-retired Hermann Schmidt to probationary
custody of 20 months for endangering public safety at the
Naintsch mining company in Lassing. He was also fined 120,000
schillings (9,554 U.S. dollars).
After an initial cave-in which trapped one miner, Schmidt
sent down 10 more miners to secure the magnesium silicate pit
as a huge crater 100 metres (330 feet) wide swallowed three
houses nearby.
The trapped miner was miraculously rescued 10 days later,
but the 10 men sent down to retrieve him as well as to secure
the mine were buried in a second, massive subsidence.
The Lassing mine, which has since been shut down, is a
unit of London-based Rio Tinto RIO.L>.
Of the remaining defendants, county mine safety director
Wolfgang Wedrac received 10 months probationary custody and a
fine of 108,000 schillings, while the other three local mining
officials were let off.
After the verdict Schmidt said the accident could not have
been avoided, a point he believed to be backed by the European
Union.
"Concerning the point as to whether this event was
avoidable", he said, "I had hoped the judge would have
listened not just to my lawyer but also to the EU Commission
-- or at least three of its competent members, who also said
an event of this size and enormity could not have been
forseen. All private experts also said it was unavoidable. But
the two expert witnesses said the opposite and the judge
backed them."
Wedrac's lawyer said after the ruling that his client
would appeal.
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