A French public prosecutor probing the death of 15 people as they boarded the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner said yesterday that the gangway which collapsed under them was a last-minute replacement.
Prosecutor Pierre-Marie Block said the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard asked for the change and investigators were leaning towards technical problems as the cause of the collapse.
"The one that was in place was put up the evening before [Saturday] at the request of the management who wanted a gangway 1.4m wide." The first one was 1m wide.
Two inquiries are under way, including a criminal investigation into manslaughter and involuntary injury.
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