Four days after a bridge gave way killing five people, the head of Costa Rica's Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) submitted her resignation Monday.
In a three-page speech, Karla González said, “I am moved by a deep sadness and sense of compassion for the families and communities who had to be apart from their loved ones this weekend. I cannot say anything more to soothe them in their feelings of pain.
“Moreover, I sympathize with their feelings of anger against the state and against the Public Works and Transport Ministry that failed them…. It's in respect to this feeling that I present my resignation as a representative of the ministry, the state and a system that failed them.”
Her resignation came as a shock to President Oscar Arias who backed González against calls for her to step down.
“For many years, MOPT never had the resources to improve our infrastructure,” Arias said. “But this government has quintupled (spending). We have done in three and a half years what was not done in 30. Without a doubt, we have to accept that resources are not sufficient to attend to all our needs in roads, bridges and airports.”
But documents circulated over the weekend that proved MOPT did have the money allocated to replace the bridge over Río Tárcoles, but never acted on it.
“The expropriations are not an excuse. Everything, absolutely everything was ready for bidding and financing the work,” said Marvin Rojas, a legislator with the Citizen Action Party, in a statement.
The accident happened at 6:25 a.m. Thursday, when one of the cables of a wooden suspension bridge snapped under the weight of a full school bus. The bus, which was traveling from Turrubares to Orotina, fell six meters into the water. |
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