At least 46 dead after Greek train accident, railway company blasted
German Press Agency
ATHENS, Greece – The death toll after a head-on train collision in Greece rose to 46, with dozens injured and numerous people still missing, the fire brigade said on Thursday.
The emergency services are continuing to search the wreckage, but they are only finding charred body parts, state television (ERT) reported.
Serious accusations have been leveled against Greek state railway company OSE. According to media reports, railway trade union members had long warned of accidents because the electronic control system on the Athens-Thessaloniki line was barely functioning.
The latest expression of concern came three weeks ago, according to the business newspaper Naftemporiki, which reported that there have been repeated minor accidents or close calls along the route.
“As long as no protective measures are taken for the workplaces and the safe operation and traffic of the trains, the accidents will not come to an end,” said the union’s letter, dated Feb. 7.
It said the dangerous situation could no longer be tolerated. “What are you waiting for to intervene? What more needs to happen?”
Another letter sent by the Train Drivers’ Association to the Ministry of Transport last November lists the shortcomings. According to the letter, the light signals on the line had not been working for many years. Also, the European Train Control System, which stops the train when danger threatens and thus also protects the system from human error, is out of order. In addition, the safety and lighting systems in the tunnels have not been fully functioning for 15 years now, it said.
The deadly accident occurred on Tuesday evening. There were 342 passengers and 10 railroad employees on the passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, plus two drivers on the freight train.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the accident an “unspeakable tragedy” as he visited the scene on Wednesday. Visibly moved, he promised that the cause of the accident would be fully investigated.
The railway official in charge at the station in the town of Larissa in central Greece on Tuesday night is said to have admitted to setting the wrong points. He is to be brought before the court on Thursday afternoon.
While train traffic in Greece is operated by the Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, the Greek state-owned OSE is responsible for the infrastructure. Its head resigned on Wednesday after the accident.
But that alone is not enough, according to Greek media.
It is a case of state failure if the infrastructure of the Greek railway is neglected to this extent.