Coach driver charged with homicide

The driver of the coach which crashed, killing 14 passengers and injuring over 40 others, has been detained and charged with the alleged crimes of homicide, causing injuries and careless driving.

The accident occurred at 23:20 on Saturday night when the vehicle, with 55 people on board, plunged fifteen metres down an embankment on the RM-730 near Venta del Olivo, Cieza, Murcia.

The driver, one of two drivers travelling on the coach, tested negative for drugs and alcohol and had alleged that the brakes had failed. The vehicle, said to be nine or ten years old, had, according to the owners, the bus company J Ruiz, passed its technical inspection two days earlier in preparation for the trip to Madrid.

However, it is currently thought that distraction and excessive speed were the cause of the accident and the driver has been arrested and charged.

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