A probe into the August 2009 accident that killed 75 people at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric project in Russia has been completed, with seven people charged with safety breaches at the plant.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative committee at the Russian Prosecutor General’s office, said that charges had been filed against the plant’s former head Nikolai Nevolko and his deputies, RIA Novosti reported. Those charged could face up to five years in jail if found guilty of violating safety rules at the plant.
The plant was damaged during an incident on 17 August 2009, when water flooded the machinery hall; power and auxiliary equipment were damaged and the frameworks of the machinery hall building collapsed.
Restoration work on the plant – owned by RusHydro – is currently on schedule and the project is expected to be fully operational again in 2014.
Details of the inquiry are expected to be released over the next few days.
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