Outdated And Dangerous: Residents Protest As Toll Reaches 57 In Greek Train Accident

Residents of Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece held a protest for the second consecutive day to show their anger over the deadly train accident that has claimed the lives of 57 people so far.

Greek train acciden death toll rises to 57

Source : Getty Images

Greek Train Accident: Over 2,000 residents of Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece held a protest for the second consecutive day to show their anger over the deadly train accident that has claimed the lives of 57 people so far. The protesters slam the Greek government for not paying attention to the country’s ‘outdated’, ‘underfunded’ and ‘dangerous’ railway network, reported BBC. 

On Wednesday night, protesters clashed with police outside the headquarters of Hellenic Train in Athens, the company responsible for maintaining Greece's railways. They threw stones and lit fires in the streets. BBC reported that the police used tear gas to disperse them. 

Rail workers also held a one-day strike on Thursday blaming government neglect for the disaster. A second 24-hour strike was called for Friday. 

A passenger train carrying 350 people collided with a freight train on Tuesday after they ended up on the same track. The collision caused flames in the front carriages, BBC mentioned in the report. 

The government has blamed human error and charged a 59-year-old station master in Larissa with manslaughter by negligence.  His lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis said that he has admitted to having a share of responsibility in the accident. 

"He is literally devastated. Since the first moment, he has assumed responsibility proportionate to him," Mr Pantzartzidis added, as quoted by BBC.

Rescue works are underway as workers go through burned carriages, searching for victims. 

Residents and rail workers blame the Greece government for ‘disrespecting’ the country’s railways that have resulted in such a ‘tragic accident’. Some say the crash is an accident that had been ‘waiting to happen’. 

Many in Greece see the crash as an accident that had been waiting to happen, and the union blamed successive governments' "disrespect" towards Greek railways for leading to this "tragic result". 

According to BBC, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomous said "chronic delays" in implementing rail projects were rooted in "distortions" in the country's public sector going back decades. 

A government minister said that Greece's economic crisis in the 2000s had contributed to a lack of investment in the railways. The country is observing three days of national mourning. 

According to Washington Post, the collision of a passenger train and a freight train was the country’s deadliest ever, and more than 48 people remained hospitalised. It added that six victims are in intensive care. 

Residents Line Up To Give Blood 

Larissa residents line up to give blood, many waiting in heavy rain for over an hour to save the victims of the deadly accident. Washington Post mentioned that the city’s hotel association is providing free accommodation to relatives of the crash victims. 

Agencies have resorted to DNA testing to identify the bodies for the families.  

As per the report, transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned following the crash. Officials have launched a judicial inquiry to determine how two trains traveled in opposite directions on the same track for more than 10 minutes without anyone raising the alarm. 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged in a televised statement Wednesday night to get to the bottom of the disaster.