The Sverdlovsk Region authorities of the Investigative Committee have charged a 31-year-old excavator driver with a crime under Part 1 of Article 109 of the RF Penal Code (Infliction of death by negligence).

According to investigators, on 4 February 2016, about 3:20 PM, the accused drove a tractor on the bank of the Nizhny-Isetsky pond in Roshchinskaya street in the city of Yekaterinburg. During snow-removal activities and maneuvering the tractor, he unloaded a scoop of snow onto a snow heap, near which a 10-year-old girl was standing. He buried her under snow and the girl choked. On the same day the girl was delivered to hospital and was in a coma until 13 February. On 13 February 2016, about 11 AM, she died in the intensive care.

The excavator driver has admitted his guilt during an interrogation.

An investigator of the investigations directorate asked a court today to put the accused under house arrest. The court however studied the records and denied the request, so the investigator released the excavator driver on recognizance.

The investigation is ongoing. We remind that the investigators are going to carefully look into legality of actions of the workers, but to check if the responsible officials took enough and timely measures to restrict people from the scene and ensure safety of operations.