Cyprus filed criminal charges on Tuesday against five persons deemed responsible for an deadly air crash which killed 121 people on board three years ago.
A Boeing 737-300 plane of Cyprus' budget company Helios Airways was flying from Larnaca to Czech capital Prague on Aug. 14, 2005 when it crashed into a hillside just north of Athens, capital of Greece. All passengers and crew members were killed in the air tragedy.
Deputy Attorney-General Akis Papasavvas said the five, whose names were not publicly disclosed yet, were charged with manslaughter and causing death by reckless act.
He noted that the charges include the most serious crime provided for in Cyprus' criminal code, with the manslaughter punishable with life sentence.
The response to the charges has been scheduled for Feb. 26.
Investigators in Greece concluded that the plane had flown on autopilot for nearly two hours before it crashed, with its pilots probably unconscious due to a serious drop in cabin pressure.
The investigation has pointed to possible human error. Boeing company and Cypriot civil aviation supervisors were also blamed by the grief-stricken relatives of the perished Cypriot holidaymakers.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article