U.K. charges six in stadium tragedy that killed 96

Prosecutors charged a former senior police commander with manslaughter on Wednesday in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster that left 96 people dead — long-awaited vindication for the families of the victims after authorities spent years blaming fans for the catastrophe.

The charges announced against former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield and five others were met with applause from victims’ relatives who had waged a decades-long quest for justice for their loved ones after the deaths were ruled accidental — a decision that was overturned in 2012 after a wide-ranging inquiry found a coverup by police.

The disaster — in which many victims were crushed against metal fences — prompted a sweeping modernization of stadiums across Britain, where standing-room-only sections like the one that contributed to the trampling of fans in the overcrowded stadium were commonplace.

Last year, a new inquest found that all 96 fans had been unlawfully killed and an independent police investigation asked prosecutors to consider criminal charges in the case.