https://sputnikglobe.com/20230306/charges-brought-against-station-master-as-protests-explode-over-deadly-train-crash-in-greece-1108077511.html
Charges Brought Against Station Master as Protests Explode Over Deadly Train Crash in Greece
Charges Brought Against Station Master as Protests Explode Over Deadly Train Crash in Greece
Sputnik International
Demonstrators in Athens seemed unmoved by the decision, instead blaming a longstanding refusal by the Greek government to implement much-needed safety improvements for the recent train collision that claimed over 50 lives.
2023-03-06T03:36+0000
2023-03-06T03:36+0000
2023-03-06T05:25+0000
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The station master for the Larissa railway station in Greece was detained by police Sunday over his alleged role in the deadliest train crash in the country’s history, according to his lawyer.An audio recording of the conversation between the conductor and the station reveals a crash which left at least 57 people dead occurred after the station master directed a driver to proceed through a red light and neglected to request a track switch for an oncoming train.The 59-year-old, whose name hasn’t been released per Greek law, is reportedly now in custody and facing felony charges of disrupting transport and putting lives at risk.Such charges were “expected” because of the high-profile nature of the case, his lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis reportedly told the press.Pantzartzidis said his client was “devastated” and had assumed the responsibility “proportionate to him,” but insisted other factors were to blame for the deadly crash as well.The president of the staff union of Greece’s national railroad organization, Nikolaos Tsikalakis, has said that the city’s switch system had long been out-of-date and crucial signaling equipment was missing for years.On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued an apology for the deadly crash, saying in a statement that “as prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all to the relatives of the victims, a big sorry – both personally, and in the name of all those who ruled the country for years.”After previously blaming “tragic human error” for the incident, Mitsotakis insisted Sunday that Greece “cannot, will not, and must not hide behind human error.”Despite the resignation of the transportation minister, tensions have continued to grow, with rail workers calling strikes until safety improvements are made.On Sunday, at least 12,000 people came out to express their condemnation of the government’s handling of the situation at demonstrations in the Greek capital of Athens which culminated in violent clashes between protesters and police and molotov cocktails being thrown.
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Charges Brought Against Station Master as Protests Explode Over Deadly Train Crash in Greece
03:36 GMT 06.03.2023 (Updated: 05:25 GMT 06.03.2023) Demonstrators in Athens seemed unmoved by the decision, instead blaming a longstanding refusal by the Greek government to implement much-needed safety improvements for the recent train collision that claimed over 50 lives.
The station master for the Larissa railway station in Greece was detained by police Sunday over his alleged role in the deadliest train crash in the country’s history, according to his lawyer.
An audio recording of the conversation between the conductor and the station reveals a crash which left at least 57 people dead occurred after the station master directed a driver to proceed through a red light and neglected to request a track switch for an oncoming train.
The 59-year-old, whose name hasn’t been released per Greek law, is reportedly now in custody and facing felony charges of disrupting transport and putting lives at risk.
Such charges were “expected” because of the high-profile nature of the case, his lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis reportedly
told the press.
Pantzartzidis said his client was “devastated” and had assumed the responsibility “proportionate to him,” but insisted other factors were to blame for the deadly crash as well.
The president of the staff union of Greece’s national railroad organization, Nikolaos Tsikalakis, has
said that the city’s switch system had long been out-of-date and crucial signaling equipment was missing for years.
A report from one leading US outlet
found the Greek government was “supposed to install a safety system nearly three years ago that was designed to prevent” the type of head-on train collision that claimed dozens of lives this week.
On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued an apology for the deadly crash, saying in a statement that “as prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all to the relatives of the victims, a big sorry – both personally, and in the name of all those who ruled the country for years.”
After previously blaming “tragic human error” for the incident, Mitsotakis insisted Sunday that Greece “cannot, will not, and must not hide behind human error.”
Despite the resignation of the transportation minister, tensions have continued to grow, with rail workers calling strikes until safety improvements are made.
On Sunday, at least 12,000 people came out to express their condemnation of the government’s handling of the situation at demonstrations in the Greek capital of Athens which culminated in violent clashes between protesters and police and molotov cocktails being thrown.
