The Director Of The Airline Of The Chapecoense Plane Is Arrested

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The manager of the Bolivian airline Lamia, Gustavo Vargas Gamboa, as well as two more employees of the company that owns the plane of the Chapecoense tragedy, were arrested on charges of breach of duties and misuse of influence.

Bolivian prosecutor Iván Quintanilla reported the arrest of Vargas, maintenance director Antonio Bedrega and a company secretary, who revealed that they were collaborating with the investigation of the incident, which cost 71 people their lives.

The arrested manager is the father of the person in charge of the National Aeronautical Registry of the General Direction of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) of Bolivia, Gustavo Steven Vargas Villegas, who approved the registration of the crashed aircraft, according to the Bolivian press.

On the other hand, the inspector of the Administration of Airports and Auxiliary Services to Bolivian Air Navigation Celia Castedo, who was in charge of supervising the flight, left the country and requested asylum in Brazil.

Castedo reportedly declared last week that she had warned of several anomalies related to the amount of fuel from the Lamia flight that was transporting the Chapecoense team to Medellín to play the first game of the South American Cup final, but that her recommendations were ignored..

Her coworkers have spoken out in her defense, but Bolivian authorities have said the inspector's alleged objections were fabricated a day after the tragedy with the apparent intention of covering up her actions.

According to those responsible for the investigation, the British-made aircraft had run out of fuel when it crashed into a hill a few miles from the Medellín airport. The same pilot warned the control tower that he had run out of "fuel" in the final minutes of the flight, according to a recording of the dramatic conversation between the captain and Colombian controllers.