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Anger in Greece over poor railway security grew on Thursday because the loss of life toll from one of many nation’s worst prepare crashes lately reached 57.
Demonstrators poured onto the streets after the head-on collision between a passenger prepare carrying greater than 350 individuals and a freight prepare on Tuesday night in Tempi, close to town of Larissa.
Protesters clashed with police within the capital Athens, the nation’s transport minister resigned within the wake of the tragedy and a rail staff’ union is occurring strike, accusing the federal government of “disrespect” within the sector.
Another 48 individuals stay in hospital because of the crash, which left toppled carriages and scorched particles in its wake. Six of the injured being handled are in important situation as a consequence of head wounds and severe burns, public broadcaster ERT reported Thursday.
After a prepare station supervisor in Larissa was arrested in connection to the collision, Greek authorities on Thursday additionally launched hanging dispatch audio recordings that present one of many prepare drivers receiving directions to disregard a crimson mild.
“Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron,” the station grasp is heard saying.
“Vasilis, am I good to go?” the prepare driver responds, to which the prepare grasp says “Go, go.”
In a second dialog, the station grasp might be heard ordering an worker to maintain one of many trains on the identical monitor.
“Shall I turn it now?” the worker asks.
“No, no, because 1564 is on this route,” the station grasp says.
The station grasp has been charged with mass deaths by way of negligence and inflicting grievous bodily hurt by way of negligence. Upon arrest he blamed the collision on a technical fault, although later admitted to “making a mistake.”
Protesters gathered exterior the central Athens headquarters of Greek rail firm Hellenic Train once more on Thursday night in an illustration organized by pupil and employee unions.
Police already had a presence exterior the Hellenic Train headquarters earlier than the demonstrators arrived. The protest was peaceable, following unrest on Wednesday through which demonstrators clashed with police.
Most of the passengers concerned within the accident have been younger, an area hospital informed ERT. The accident got here quickly after a vacation weekend.
Search and rescue operations will proceed on Thursday and Friday on the web site of the crash, in response to the Fire Service.
Meanwhile, family members of these lacking are nonetheless awaiting news relating to their family members because the identification course of continues at Larissa General Hospital.
Speaking earlier to Greek media, Dimitris Bournazis, who’s making an attempt to get news about his father and brother, mentioned nobody has given him any data. Bournazis mentioned he was making an attempt to contact the corporate to search out out the place on the prepare his family members have been sitting on the time of the crash. He mentioned he referred to as the places of work of Hellenic Train thrice however nobody has referred to as him again.
“The prime minister and the health minister came here yesterday. Why? To do what? To explain what? Where are they today?” Bournazis informed Greek broadcaster SKAI, including that “no one has given us any information, no one knows how many people really were inside.”
“We cannot only blame one person for this because of a mistake. Where is everyone else now? They all await the election to speak,” he mentioned.
Speaking to ERT, passenger Andreas Alikaniotis, who was within the second carriage throughout the collision, described the moments following the crash.
“What we did was to break the glass, which was already cracked, and to throw the luggage outside the carriage, so we can land somewhere soft,” he informed ERT, describing how he helped round 10 individuals escape.
“We jumped 3 to 4 meters,” he added, “first the more seriously injured and then us with lighter injuries”
Alikaniotis added that he remembers pulling up two or three ladies and serving to them get to the window to leap. “There was panic,” he added.
Greece has a weak report of railway passenger security in contrast with different international locations in Europe, recording the very best railway fatality charge per million prepare kilometers from 2018 to 2020 amongst 28 nations on the continent, in response to a 2022 report from the European Union Agency for Railways.
In a rare assembly, the Greek federation of rail staff determined unanimously to launch the 24-hour strike on Thursday to spotlight poor working circumstances and power understaffing.
It accused the federal authorities of “disrespect” in direction of railways for inflicting the crash, saying “more permanent staff, better training and mainly the implementation of modern security systems, are permanently thrown in the bin.”
Separately, one other 24-hour strike was introduced by Greek metro staff, who mentioned in a press release: “There are no words to describe such tragedy.”
Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis mentioned the railway system the federal government inherited was “not up to 21st century standards” as he stepped down from his function Wednesday.
In a televised tackle after visiting the crash web site, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis mentioned the collision was “mainly” due “to tragic human error.”
He mentioned the transport minister’s resolution to resign was honorable, and added that the heads of Hellenic Railways Organization and its subsidiary ERGOSE have additionally submitted their resignations.
Condolences have poured in from the world over, whereas a three-day interval of mourning is underneath method in Greece.
Britain’s King Charles mentioned in a press release that he and his spouse Camilla, Queen Consort, have been “most shocked and profoundly saddened by the news of the dreadful accident.”
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “My thoughts go out to the families of the victims of the terrible accident that took place last night near Larissa. France stands alongside the Greeks.”
Source: www.cnn.com