Once train crash witnesses request bodyguards

After Leonardo Andrada was found murdered last Saturday, a key witness in the Once train crash case, remaining witnesses have requested protection from any other possible future attacks.

“The Brotherhood” train driver union leader Omar Maturano announced yesterday that workers who testified in the case would meet this Wednesday to request that judge Claudio Bonadío provide witness protection services if necessary.

“We need to be cautious, as the investigation advances because of the recent murder,” said Maturano. Andrada was killed after receiving four gunshots in the back at a bus station in the Buenos Aires district of Ituzaingó, he had only been robbed of his cellphone, while his backpack and 1,200 pesos remained with him. The union leader believed that the murder was not related to the case because Andrada had not informed of any threats beforehand.

A father of a youth that was killed in the Once Railway accident last February, Paolo Menghini Rey, stated that the murder was a “blow for everyone” and requested that the crime be investigated. He gave his condolences to the family of the machinist. He hoped that those responsible for the crime would be caught soon.

Two men break into murdered witness’s house

Two men broke into the house of Leonardo Andrada yesterday. Police authorities are investigating whether the break in is linked to his murder. The break-in occurred at 12am, while the victim’s remains were in a funeral house 32 blocks from his residence. A family member found his home’s entrance broken into with two unknown men inside. The men verbally abused them and then ran away.

The Once railway accident caused 51 people to lose their lives and another 700 injuries. Andrada was an engine driver who had handed over the train to fellow-driver Marcos Antonio Córdoba, who was at the wheel when the train ran off the tracks and crashed against the Once terminal station. The death of Andrada is being investigated by the Ituzaignó police department, and was committed with only 13 days until the anniversary of the railway tragedy.

Herald with DyN