Driver to be charged for killing eight in Mexico

Mexico City, Oct 9 (IANS/EFE) The driver of a truck that plowed into the stands at an air show, killing eight and leaving 86 injured, is all set to be charged with reckless manslaughter by Mexican judiciary.

The accident occurred Saturday during the three-day Festival Extremo AeroShow in the northern city of Chihuahua.

The driver, identified as Francisco Velazquez Samaniego, was to be informed of the charges during a special hearing at the hospital where he is being treated, a spokesperson for the Chihuahua state Attorney General's Office, Carlos Gonzalez, said.

Although at the time of the incident, the driver's breath smelled of alcohol, when breathalyzer tests were performed on him at the hospital they came back negative, Gonzalez told Radio Formula.

The driver of the vehicle, which has tires 1.5 metres high, was going over a pile of junked automobiles when it lost control and hit the stands.

Of the 86 people injured, 21 remain hospitalised.

The Festival Extremo AeroShow features planes, balloons, motorcycle races and monster trucks.