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| - Austrian prosecutors said Wednesday that they are now looking at a fifth suspect after completing an investigation into the alleged mishandling of a notorious coronavirus outbreak in the ski resort of Ischgl in March last year. Until now, four suspects had been targeted in the probe into the outbreak, where more than 6,000 tourists from 45 countries filed complaints about exposure to the virus while holidaying in the small ski resort in the western Austrian province of Tyrol. The prosecutors said the investigation has led to a fifth suspect but did not reveal the person's identity. The public prosecutors have "reached a conclusion following an in-depth investigation," they said in a statement sent to AFP, adding it would be sent to the justice ministry. "The ministry could either approve the investigation or open another investigation," the statement said. No decision had yet been taken on whether to charge suspects and it remains to be seen whether the alleged mishandling constituted a criminal offence. According to earlier Austrian media reports the four others under investigation were Ischgl's mayor Werner Kurz and Markus Maass, the head of Landeck district -- which administers Ischgl -- along with two other officials. They are being investigated for having wilfully or negligently endangered people through a contagious disease, according to public broadcaster ORF. At the beginning of May, another elected top health official in the Tyrol region quit after coming under fire for their handling of the outbreak. In October, a special committee of experts had pointed to failings on the part of both local and national authorities. Tourists have accused local authorities of failing to inform them of the outbreak at the resorts in a timely fashion, as well as a panicked evacuation during which many had to cram onto public transport alongside sneezing and coughing fellow visitors. Several days after authorities were made aware of infections in one of Ischgl's tightly packed bars, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on March 13, 2020, that the narrow valley would be put under lockdown, and that thousands of tourists would have an hour to evacuate. Panic ensued, and tourists reported that the 30-kilometre (18-mile) ride to the district's capital took up to seven hours on crammed buses as authorities demanded they sign forms promising to return to their respective homes without making any detours. No one, however, was tested for the virus, and thousands of tourists now believe that they helped spread the disease across Europe at a time when the World Health Organization had not yet declared the coronavirus a pandemic. bg/anb/spm/lc
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