Court Refuses to Reopen Eschede Trial

Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court on Tuesday refused to consider reopening the proceedings in a 1998 high-speed train crash in Eschede near Hanover. The accident, which killed 101 people and injured another 100, was the worst train wreck in German postwar history. Survivors had hoped to restart the criminal trial surrounding the incident, saying their basic rights had been harmed since they had not had a legal hearing. A regional court in April closed the case against three railway engineers accused of negligent manslaughter. An inquiry into the Eschede crash blamed a defective wheel for the accident.