Two days after the fatal train accident, the parents of the deceased 38-year-old assistant engineer Atanas Atanasov spoke to bTV. The distraught parents believe that an incorrect command from a dispatcher led to the tragedy. And today, two more positions in the railways were vacated because of the case.
Shortly after the case, the former Minister of Transport requested three resignations. That same evening, Dimitar Glavchev dismissed the relevant deputy minister from his post. Today, Grozdan Karadzhov also accepted the resignations of the directors of NRIC and BDZ - Freight Transport.
The parents of the assistant engineer said that he never complained about his job and wanted to retire at BDZ. He was last heard from minutes before the collision.
38-year-old Atanas was an assistant engineer, father, beloved and only child of his parents.
"He left in the morning and said: I'll be back tonight", the mother recalls. They can be heard minutes before the fatal collision. "It was around 4:00", the father says. They learned about the tragedy from television. Hours of uncertainty followed.
For now, the version of a technical error is being rejected. Rather, it is about non-compliance with safety procedures, says the Minister of Transport.
"A train set, which is on a shunting track, goes directly on its route. And the safety procedure requires that the shunting track be switched to another one, which is on the general track“, said Grozdan Karadjov - Minister of Transport.
Is this a mistake on the part of the state railways or the private company? The investigation will tell, my belief is that it was a mistake by the two drivers.
Now, all that remains for Atanas' parents is the memory.
“Every night on the phone: Dad, do you need anything. He's gone. Now he's gone. He's gone. Nobody will ask me anymore“, explained the father of the deceased and said that they want answers. But they will not seek responsibility.
“I don't want anyone to judge. God has condemned and punished me enough. We don't have money for lawsuits. What can I judge, my child is going to the trap the next day. "What should I sue them for?" says the blackened mother.
38-year-old Atanas leaves behind a 14-year-old child.