Court awards two-million-euro damages to Greek earthquake victims

ATHENS (AFP) Jan 20, 2004
A Greek appeals court on Tuesday ordered the owners of an Athens factory that collapsed and killed 39 employees during a 1999 earthquake to pay a total two million euros (2.5 million dollars) in damages to the families of six victims.

The appeals court upheld earlier rulings convicting the owners and civil engineers of detergent factory Ricomex of "extreme negligence" in the building's construction and maintenance.

More class action suits filed by the families of the other victims are pending. Ricomex board members and civil engineers face manslaughter charges in a criminal trial set to start on March 24, the semi-official Athens News Agency (ANA) reported.

The plant was destroyed when an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck the Greek capital on September 7, 1999, killing 143 people.

TERRA.WIRE