Romanian Prosecutors Launch Probe Into Main Suspect In Train Derailment Case

Prosecutor Ionel Grigorie said the suspect, Vlad Florin, a former railroad clerk, is accused of causing malicious damages and giving a false train signal and will be investigated at large.

Florin Dobrescu, a union leader, said the suspect is known for a series of felonies in recent years.

Fifteen people were taken to hospital after a fast passenger train traveling from western Timisoara to capital city Bucharest went off the rails Monday morning soon after it left the railway station in Craiova, southern Romania.

The accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. after the train's locomotive and eight cars carrying 360 passengers, went off the rails.

Gendarmes helped evacuate nearly 300 passengers from the train, while some passengers said it took them nearly 20 minutes to get out of the train, as the train cars overturned and ended up several meters off the rails.

Transport Minister Radu Berceanu said a preliminary report indicates the accident was "a deliberate act of foul play" after one or several people uncoupled a device connecting the rails, by using oil to smear the rail, as well as other special devices.

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