"Won't Forget the Crime"... Greece's Outrage Spreads Over Train Collision

As the death toll from the train collision in central Greece rises to 57, public anger over the government's response is spreading.

According to major foreign media outlets including the BBC, on the 2nd (local time), following the previous day, about 700 citizens gathered in front of the Hellenic Train headquarters in Athens, the capital of Greece, to protest against the government and the railway company for neglecting the aging railway system.

On the 1st (local time), citizens are protesting in front of the Hellenic Train headquarters in Athens, Greece, against a train collision accident. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Despite heavy rain, they shouted slogans such as "This crime will not be forgotten" and marched from the Hellenic Train headquarters to the Greek Parliament.

Stelios Domarazoglou, who participated in the protest, told The Guardian, "They will try to cover up the accident, but we will not just leave it alone," and criticized, "Everyone knew that if the state had stepped in, this accident could have been prevented." He claimed, "Companies have been interested only in profit, and the train system updates have been delayed since nine years ago."

The protest occurred just hours after Greek government spokesperson Yanis Economou officially acknowledged that Greece's railway business "suffers from chronic problems" and that modernization of the railway system has been delayed. From the evening of the 1st, protesters threw stones at the railway company's office but were dispersed by police tear gas.

On the 2nd, 2,000 citizens gathered in Thessaloniki, the final destination of the accident train, and engaged in violent protests. Citizens threw stones and Molotov cocktails, criticizing the government's delayed response, and police intervened to suppress the protests.

According to major foreign media, the majority of the protesters were young people of similar age to the victims. CNN explained that many of the passengers on the accident train were 20-something students who had been observing Lent, a period of purification before Easter, and were returning to Thessaloniki.

Railway company employees blamed the government’s neglect for the disaster and decided to go on strike through the weekend. The railway union stated on the 2nd, "This strike is a protest against the government's disregard for Greek railways," pointing out that cost-cutting, staff shortages, and outdated equipment have damaged the railway system for years.

Hellenic Train is one of the companies privatized during Greece's long-term debt crisis. The railway union claims that since Hellenic Train was acquired by an Italian company in 2017, modernization of the railway system has been delayed.

Earlier, on the night of the 28th of last month, near Larisa in the Thessaly region of central Greece, a passenger train collided head-on with an oncoming freight train, causing some passenger cars to derail and at least three cars to catch fire. The train was carrying 342 passengers and 10 crew members.

At the time of the accident, some passengers were thrown out of the train due to the strong impact, and some bodies were found 30 to 40 meters away from the accident site.

Fire authorities reported that 57 people have died so far and 56 remain missing. The Guardian reported that when the train collision caused a fire, the front two cars were engulfed in flames reaching 1300 degrees Celsius, and rescue workers believe the chances of finding additional survivors are slim.