They are investigating the deaths of two soldiers who drowned during exercises in Spain

However, the press soon reported that the exercise had gone wrong.

The two soldiers, aged 24 and 34, drowned, according to the first findings of the investigation, which blamed the captain who directed the exercise, Luis Romero, a lawyer for the family of one of the two victims, Carlos Leon Rico, told AFP. To other base authorities and the Ministry of Defence.

As part of this exercise, several dozen soldiers, loaded with their equipment, had to cross a lake whose water was at zero temperature.

The lawyer said that Carlos Leon Rico’s bag was overweight by 3.5 kg, which was imposed by his superiors as a punishment, bringing the total weight to 12 kg.

On Tuesday, at the request of the military justice system, the civil court of Cordoba that was investigating the case recused itself and handed it over to a military court in Seville.

A decision that Carlos León Rico’s family will appeal against, fearing that the military justice system will silence the case.

In early January, Defense Minister Margarita Robles of the leftist government assured that the armed forces would “cooperate with justice without reservation.”

“If errors were made, they need to know,” Robles said.

The president of the Association of Troops and Sailors (ATME), an organization that protects the rights of military personnel, revealed on Wednesday that soldiers at the base said they were “under pressure” and “feel a lot of fear.”

According to the lawyer for Leon Rico’s family, “this tragedy could have been much bigger,” as 60 other soldiers were waiting their turn to enter the lake.

The Defense Ministry declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

mig/mg/al