After the serious train accident in Greece, the government has admitted the failure of the state. Delays in modernizing Greece’s rail network are due to “chronic” problems and “decades of failure” in the administration, government spokesman Giannis Economou said Thursday. However, the station master responsible for the section of the route took personal responsibility for the accident. Nearly 50 dead have now been recovered.
There was hardly any hope of survivors, according to organizations involved in the rescue and recovery work. On the route between the capital Athens and the port city of Thessaloniki, a collision occurred just before midnight on Tuesday evening between an Intercity with more than 350 people on board and an oncoming freight train on the same track. Two carriages were crushed by the force of the impact, the dining car went up in flames, countless people were trapped in the derailed and wedged wrecks.
Stationmaster arrested
A few hours after the accident, the station master on duty in the nearby town of Larissa was arrested at the time of the accident. The 59-year-old is charged with negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment. His lawyer said he admitted the allegations on Thursday. His client “admitted what he did,” according to the lawyer.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of a “tragic human error” after visiting the scene of the accident on Wednesday. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis has resigned. His successor Giorgos Gerapetritis apologized to the victims’ families on Thursday and announced a self-critical assessment of the accident.
Train routes in poor condition
After the accident, a heated discussion broke out in Greece about the state of the railway network. According to the drivers’ union OSE, the section between Athens and Thessaloniki is in very bad condition. All signals are controlled manually, says union boss Kostas Genidounias. Railway employees pointed out in an open letter in February that the security systems were incomplete and poorly maintained.
As part of a massive privatization program due to the financial crisis, the Italian state railway Ferrovie di Stato (FS) took over the Greek railway in 2017. On Wednesday evening there were protests in Larissa and in front of the Hellenic Train headquarters in Athens. “Privatization kills” was written on placards by the demonstrators in Larissa. In Athens, police used tear gas against protesters who threw stones at the train station.
Identification using DNA
According to the fire service, 48 bodies had been recovered from the scene of the accident on Thursday afternoon, most of whom were in the first three wagons. Due to the fire in the dining car, some of the corpses have been charred beyond recognition and must be identified using a DNA test. More than 80 other people were injured. They are being treated in hospitals in Larissa, Thessaloniki and Katerini, some in intensive care.
The rescuers made their way through bent metal debris with heavy equipment on Thursday. A few passengers were still missing on Thursday, but authorities did not provide precise information. The coroner Roubini Leontari of the hospital in Larisa spoke on the ERT channel of more than ten missing.
Source: Krone
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