Italians Want To Widen Scope Of Crash Probe

Italian prosecutors want to question two U.S. officials about a cable car accident that killed 20 people, despite America’s refusal to surrender jurisdiction over the Marine crew blamed in the deaths, news reports said Saturday.

RAI state TV and the Italian news agency ANSA said prosecutors want to question next week the two high-ranking officials from Aviano, the U.S. air base where the crew was based.

Prosecutor Francantonio Granero, already investigating the four-person crew and two base officials, did not confirm the reports.

Probes by the Marines and the Italian air force have concluded that the plane was flying too fast and low.

Under a NATO agreement, allies have the right to investigate and prosecute their own military personnel for possible misconduct during official operations.