Ecobreves – CHILE: Swan Death Investigation Extended

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SANTIAGO, Jan 18 2010 (IPS) - The investigation into the 2004 deaths of hundreds of black-necked swans in the Carlos Anwandter Nature Sanctuary, 800 km south of the Chilean capital, will wrap up in June. On January 7, a court in San José de la Mariquina extended the process 150 days.

“Our hope is that things can be formalized with the extra time” in order to press charges against those responsible for the environmental disaster that has been under investigation for five years, Renato Jiménez, one of the plaintiff lawyers, told Tierramérica.

Jiménez said he believes there is enough evidence for the Public Ministry to pin the blame on workers at the Valdivia plant of the paper pulp company Celco for dumping waste into the Cruces River, the swans' habitat.