What's Known So Far in the Aftermath of Greece's Tragic Train Crash?

© AP Photo / Giannis PapanikosDebris of trains lie on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train before midnight on Tuesday.
Debris of trains lie on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train before midnight on Tuesday. - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.03.2023
Subscribe
Many of the victims are believed to be university students who were returning home after an extended weekend to celebrate Carnival, which precedes Lent. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Greece’s worst train crash in history occurred Tuesday at 11:24 p.m. local time. The incident involved a freight train and a passenger train carrying more than 350 passengers that collided and derailed. At least 43 people were killed in the crash and more than 70 people were injured.
The cause of the fatal head-on collision of two trains in the Tempe Valley near Larissa, Greece, was due to “tragic human error,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address.
Flags flew at half-staff in Athens as well as all European Commission buildings in Brussels as a tribute to victims of the crash. The Greek government also declared three days of national mourning regarding the tragedy.
"It's an unthinkable tragedy. Our thoughts today are with the relatives of the victims," Mitsotakis said at the site of the crash.

Station Manager Arrested as Transportation Minister Resigns

The station manager of the Larissa train station testified before a prosecutor and has since been arrested in connection to the incident. He was charged with mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence.
The 59-year-old official initially denied any wrongdoing, explaining to investigators that the accident was caused by a possible technical failure, a police official said. However, the same station manager later changed his story, and said he made a mistake and sent the passenger train on the wrong line.
"I made a mistake and sent the passenger train on the same line as the commercial one coming from Katerini (direction)," said the 59 year-old.
Investigators earlier indicated the two trains had been on the same track for “many kilometers.”
At least eight rail employees were among those who were killed in the crash including two freight train drivers and two drivers of the passenger train, Yannis Nitsas, president of the Greek Railroad Workers Union has said.
© AP Photo / Vaggelis KousiorasSmoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars.
Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.03.2023
Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars.
In the wake of the accident, Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis submitted his resignation, explaining he was stepping down in “respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly.” He further stated the railway system the government inherited was “not up to 21st century standards.”
"I have been in politics for a few years, but I consider it a necessary element of our democracy that the citizens of our country trust the political system. This is called political responsibility. For this reason, I am resigning from the position of Minister of Infrastructure and Transport," Karamanlis said.
"It is what I feel my duty to do as a minimal sign of respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly and taking responsibility for the timeless mistakes of the Greek state and political system."
“Unfortunately, our efforts have not been sufficient to prevent such a bad incident. And this is very heavy for all of us and me personally,” Karamanlis added.
The Greek prime minister later called Karmanlis' decision to step down “honorable."

Tragic Scenes of the Accident

The accident has been described to be like that of an explosion as passengers recount the scene as “nightmarish.”
“We heard a big bang, [it was] 10 nightmarish seconds, we were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides, and until the commotion stopped, then there was panic, cables [everywhere] fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,” Stergios Minenis, 28, told a British news agency.
"There was panic, for 10, 15 seconds it was chaos, tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped, it was two meters high from where we jumped to leave and beneath there were broken iron debris, but what could we do?”
Rescuers have continued to search for survivors as hospital officials work to identify those who have died. Roubini Leondari, the chief coroner in Larissa said that 43 bodies had been brought to her for examination, and that she would require DNA identification to identify the bodies because they were so badly burned in the accident.
© AP Photo / Vaggelis KousiorasSmoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars.
Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.03.2023
Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars.
“Temperatures reached 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 Fahrenheit), which makes it even more difficult to identify the people who were in it,” a fire service spokesperson said.
One parent said he is still trying to find out what happened to his daughter. He said in the last phone conversation he had with her she said, “We’re on fire… my hair is burning.”

Protests in Athens

In Athens about 1,000 people protested outside the offices of the Hellenic Train, while some threw stones at their windows. Railway workers announced they would attend, which prompted Hellenic Train to announce they would suspend all scheduled trains on Thursday.
"Pain has turned into anger for the dozens of dead and wounded colleagues and fellow citizens," the workers' union said in a statement announcing the strike. "The disrespect shown over the years by governments to the Greek railways led to the tragic result."
The union said they had repeatedly requested more permanent staff, more training and upgraded technology which had been ignored.
Minor clashes had been reported during demonstrations, with local outlets detailing how police at the site had used stun grenades and tear gas to quell protesters.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала