The writing of the military prosecutor on the Cerro Muriano case reveals how a medical soldier came to warn twice and within a narrow time frame Captain Zúñigathe main accused, that he does not have an ambulance in the … proximity to the marsh “in case of possible need” because at the same time there was a shooting exercise which required it. He did this the day before the maneuver of December 21, 2023 and the same morning, as evidenced by the qualification of the prosecution.
It was in the face of the chaotic situation triggered in the water and the confirmed disappearance of Corporal Jiménez by his companions that the person in charge of the company and the maneuver ordered one of his lieutenants to urgently request a ambulance which appeared after nine minutes at this point. And it was fifteen minutes later that Captain Zúñiga called 112 to report that a soldier had drowned.
As we already know, the absence of soldier Carlos Leonthe other person who died during the river crossing maneuver was only spotted after a census in the area called “bivouac”, approximately 500 meters from the marsh itself. Added to all this are the two soldiers who had to be treated and transferred to a hospital in Córdoba for hypothermia.
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Civil Guard agents in zodiacs checking the area of the lake through which the soldiers crossed during the maneuver
The accusation of two attempted crimes of the same magnitude had been brought against both against the efficiency of the service for the four accused in the case, but the Military Prosecutor’s Office nevertheless avoided examining it and removed it from its assessment of the facts, limited to only the two deceased as well as Captain Zúñiga and Lieutenant Tato.
As ABC has argued, the prosecutor is asking for eight years in prison for Captain Zúñiga (four for each of the deceased) and five years in prison for Lieutenant Tato. In both cases, due to offenses committed against the efficiency of the service (collected in article 77.1 of the Military Penal Code).
The temperature, the depth of the lake and the deficiencies of military equipment were determining factors.
Several key factors are highlighted by this writing which already appears in the summary: the depth of the lake, which reaches 2.30 meters at a distance of forty meters then drops to 1.50 meters near the shore. The Civil Guard report indicates in this regard that “taking the reference of one meter and eighty as the depth of the exercise, the exercise involved floating for ninety meters”.
The temperature, which according to experts is 8 degrees at the time of crossing and that the person himself State Meteorological Agency He detailed this area from 5:00 a.m. when the maneuver began at 3.9 degrees, to 4.3 degrees at 8:00 a.m. and at 6:08 a.m. when the crossing began.
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Detail of the rope that crossed the lake attached to one of the oak trees on the shore
This letter from the military prosecutor once again highlights the equipment carried by the personnel of the maneuver, the lack of waterproofing and verification of it and the high risk of crossing the lake in this area and not on foot on one of the sides. In addition to the assignment of the organism in the waters from 4 to 8 degrees over a prolonged period of time.
The Office of the Prosecutor indicated in its brief that it was interesting to question the four accused during the oral trial, three expert evidences, the testimony of nine other experts and the testimony of 41 soldiers. It remains to know the different conclusive documents which will present the corresponding accusations and defenses.
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