GM's Deadly Recall Delay Caused by Employee 'Neglect, Incompetence'

A delayed General Motors recall that led to at least 13 deaths was caused by "a pattern of incompetence and neglect" throughout the company, an internal report released Thursday said.

GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra announced that 15 employees -- many of them senior legal and engineering executives -- have been dismissed and five more have been disciplined after the probe by former federal prosecutor Anton Valukas.

Valukas' report, described by Barra as "brutally tough and deeply troubling," is attached below.

Barra has confirmed that GM will soon begin compensating victims of crashes linked to the faulty ignition switches that have plagued the company for over a decade, The Associated Press reports. The program is expected to begin taking claims August 1 of this year.

GM officials said that the number of fatalities related to the part defect may rise. Reuters reports that at least 74 people have died in crashes similar to those GM has linked to the faulty switches, based on an analysis of government data.

GM's Deadly Recall Delay Caused by Employee 'Neglect, Incompetence'