the Pointe-à-Pitre public prosecutor’s office refers two other involuntary homicides to the investigating judge

The investigating judge in charge of the investigation into defective Takata airbags in Guadeloupe is seized of two other involuntary homicides dating from 2020, the Pointe-à-Pitre prosecutor’s office told the Radio France agency on Friday, May 31.

A judicial investigation has already been open since June 2023 for “injuries” and “involuntary manslaughter” on five victims, during five accidents, which “could be linked to explosions of Citroën C3 airbags”, specifies the prosecution.

Concerning the two other homicides dating from 2020, they involve a Toyota and a Ford both equipped with Takata airbags.

The Pointe-à-Pitre public prosecutor’s office also indicates that two preliminary investigations are underway for “unintentional injuries”. Injuries that “could be linked to explosions of Takata airbags in Nissan vehicles”. “We are still waiting for expert reports,” concludes the prosecution.

In mid-May, more than 600,000 vehicles were recalled by Citroën in around twenty countries in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The manufacturer asked their owners “to immediately stop driving their vehicle. The recall is linked to the deterioration of the gas contained in the airbags, propellant, according to Stellantis. These are the Takata brand airbags which are affected. In the event of an accident, when the airbag is triggered, particles or small parts may be thrown with the airbag and cause injuries. This defect was brought to light by the American authorities in 2014. The Japanese group has since gone bankrupt.