Thursday marks five years since the tragic Waldhaff explosion at the army's munitions depot, which killed three people and injured one.
The Luxemburger Wort reported on Wednesday that former army chief Alain Duschène, as well as two others, have been accused of manslaughter.
The investigation is still ongoing. The public prosecutor's office confirmed to RTL that Duschène and two members of Sedal, the army's demining department, were accused of negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm. They were indicted pending charges.
The indictment rests on the conclusion of the investigating judge. It is now up to the public prosecutor's office whether it will press charges and whether it comes to trial, or if the case is classified and must be decided by a council.
Two bomb disposal experts, a 47 and 39-year-old sergeant, were in the process of preparing a 48 kilogram World War II bomb for disposal when it exploded. The bomb did not have a detonator, was classed as safe, and was due to be taken to Belgium to be neutralised.
The two injured sergeants, aged 44 and 41, came to the depot to collect equipment and were not involved in the relocation preparation. There were no other individuals in the building. It is possible that the bomb may have changed chemically over time during storage, or that it became unstable because it lay in damp ground for an extended period of time.
Prior to the explosion in 2019, the army was well aware of the fact that the Waldhaff depot was no longer up to date. In 2025, the new depot will be adapted to modern standards. More capacity for the storage of army ammunition will boost the expansion of the army, with the Belgian-Luxembourgish battalion at the forefront.
The project, which costs over 81 million euros, has not been approved by the State Council yet, because the text speaks of 'redevelopment'. The text was amended in January of this year.
