“I will repeat my public apologies on behalf of all those who have governed the country for many years, but above all in person. Therefore, I assume my responsibilities,” said the head of the Greek government, quoted by the newspaper. Kathimerini .
Recall that on the night of March 1, near the city of Larisa, there was a head-on collision of a high-speed train en route from Athens to Thessaloniki with a freight train traveling in the opposite direction. As a result of the accident, three wagons carrying people derailed, a fire broke out. The disaster resulted in the death of 57 people, mostly young students. Students were returning en masse from their home countries to their universities after long vacations.
Authorities have officially declared the cause of the tragedy to be human error. The head of the station has been taken into custody, he faces an impressive prison sentence.
However, reports appeared in the press that numerous flaws in the railway safety system led to the fatal accident which, despite numerous complaints, was not eliminated for years. For a long time, the government simply turned a blind eye to this issue.
Numerous protest rallies took place this week in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and a few other Greek cities. In total, at least 50,000 people took to the streets. Among them are employees of the railway industry, students, doctors, teachers, members of trade unions and public bodies. The citizens demanded that the authorities carry out an objective investigation into what happened and take measures to correct the situation.
