The station master in the Puglia
town of Andria, Vito Piccarreta, on Monday told prosecutors it
was not him who altered the departure time of one of two trains
that crashed last Tuesday killing 23 people, his lawyer told
reporters.
The train is recorded as leaving Andria for Corato at
10:59, but this time is believed to have been altered by pen,
leaving what was underneath scribbled out.
"I didn't write that," the station master told prosecutors,
referring to the scribbled-out writing, according to persons
present at the questioning.
Piccarreta however insisted that the train left Andria at
that time, 10:59, and not earlier as would have been possible if
a mistake had been made.
The station master is said to have volunteered the
information and did not wait to be asked if it has him who had
scribbled out the underlying writing, according to the presons
present at the questioning.
Piccareta said he had "no doubt" that the train left at
the time that was recorded on the time sheet, and that is, in
fact, 10:59.
Trani prosecutors are trying to establish if it was
Piccarreta or his colleague at Corato, Alessio Porcelli, who
made the fatal mistake in letting the train onto the single
track while the other one was coming the other way.
Porcelli will be questioned later today.
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