Arrests and interrogations – Greek minister resigns after train crash

For Greece, which has only a small rail network, it is the worst train accident in history. The accident site near the central Greek town of Larisa resembles a field of debris, the front carriages of both trains nearly collapsed by the impact, as drone footage showed. Initial reports of the possible cause suggest that technical issues and subsequent human error may have played a role. The electronic control system on the route would not have worked properly for a long time, leaving the respective station masters responsible for the correct forwarding of the trains. According to the police, they temporarily arrested the station guard responsible for the signaling and questioned at least three people, including a representative of the railway company.

Huge outrage about possible mistakes
According to this theory, the passenger train could be sent from the Larisa railway station onto the wrong track, along which the freight train later met it. Due to the lack of a control system, the exact location of the accident could not be determined at first, broadcaster ERT reported – the rescuers would have to search for the spot first. The indignation of the people of the country is already great: how is it possible that the Intercity was running on the same track as the oncoming freight train, while the route has been widened to two lanes, one wonders. In Larisa, after a call from the Greek Red Cross and the surrounding hospitals, many people have started donating blood to show their support for the injured.

Passenger: “I thought I was going to die”
Desperate relatives gathered overnight at the destination station in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki and telephone hotlines were set up. About 200 passengers, who were not or only slightly injured, were taken by bus from the scene of the accident to Thessaloniki, 150 kilometers away. But some relatives waited there in vain. “I thought I was going to die,” a passenger told Kathimerini newspaper. According to his own statements, the young man was in one of the rear wagons. He sought protection on the ground, people screamed and cried. Other passengers reported smashing the windows and getting out of the half-overturned carriage in the dark.

Visibly affected, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised at noon at the scene of the accident that the cause of the accident would be fully clarified. It was an “unspeakable tragedy,” he said. First of all, the main task is to treat the injured and identify the bodies. We will do everything we can to make sure something like this never happens again. Transport Minister Karamanlis explained that the current government took over Greek railways three and a half years ago in a state that does not fit the 21st century. Since then, every effort has been made to improve this situation.

Transport Minister: ‘Not possible to continue as if nothing happened’
“Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough to prevent such an accident. It is very difficult for all of us and for me personally.” When something like this tragic happens, it is not possible to continue as if nothing happened. He considers it essential that citizens can rely on the political system. “For this reason, take I am resigning from the position of Minister of Infrastructure and Transport,” the minister said a few hours after the accident. Karamanlis stressed that he felt obliged to take responsibility for the mistakes of the Greek state and reiterated his condolences to the families of the victims .