The father of one of seven
Italian Erasmus exchange students who died in a bus crash in
Spain earlier this year told ANSA Wednesday the family is
"stupefied" after a Spanish judge shelved criminal proceedings
in the case.
A total of 13 young women died in the March 20 accident
that left another 34 injured, six of them Italian.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep," the 63-year-old driver
reportedly told emergency rescue workers at the crash site.
The Spanish judge ruled there was no mechanical failure and
the driver was not at fault. The decision can be appealed.
"We are stupefied and in shock, again," Alessandro
Saracino, whose daughter Serena lost her life in the crash, told
ANSA.
"We reserve the right to pursue all legal avenues, and will
call on the European Union to take a stance," he said.
The bus tipped over while taking the Erasmus students back
to their base in Barcelona after attending Valencia's famous Las
Falles festival, in which each city district burns a wood and
paper-mache monument it has worked year round to build.
The Italian victims were: Francesca Bonello, Lucrezia
Borghi, Valentina Gallo, Elena Maestrini, Elisa Scarascia
Mugnozza, Serena Saracino, and Elisa Valent.
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