Greece to try dozens over deadly 2023 train crash

Thirty-six radical will stand trial successful Greece for a deadly head-on collision betwixt two trains successful 2023 that sparked protests and formed a spotlight connected the country’s outdated railways, a judicial source said Monday.

Greece’s erstwhile top railway regulator, an ex-rail institution enforcement and the station maestro connected work the nighttime of the February 28, 2023 clang are among those who will look trial for the disaster, which killed 57 people.

The appeals tribunal successful the metropolis of Larissa successful cardinal Greece approved a prosecutor’s petition for the 36 to stand trial connected charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligence, the source told AFP.

No day has been set, but the trial will apt beryllium intimately followed fixed the level of outrage provoked by the fatal collision, which besides injured hundreds of people.

There person been regular protests successful Greece attended by hundreds of thousands of radical demanding justice.

Among those standing trial is Vassilis Samaras, the Larissa station maestro connected work astatine the time.

Inexperienced and unsocial that evening, Samaras instantly admitted to making mistakes, and has already spent astir 18 months successful pre-trial detention.

Just earlier midnight that night, a freight train and a rider train travelling betwixt Athens and Thessaloniki successful the northbound collided adjacent Larissa, aft moving connected the aforesaid track for respective minutes without triggering immoderate alarm system.

An probe rapidly revealed woeful deficiencies successful the outdated railway web and signalling system.

Others standing trial see the erstwhile president of the Regulatory Authority for Railways, a erstwhile enforcement of the railway institution OSE which is liable for web maintenance, and elder transport ministry officials.

The tribunal will besides prosecute two executives of Italian rider transport institution Hellenic Train for insignificant offences, the source said.

In June, the Greek parliament launched a probe into the imaginable work of then transport curate Kostas Karamanlis, who resigned the time aft the tragedy.

The begetter of 1 of the victims has been connected hunger strike extracurricular parliament successful Athens for astir two weeks.

Source: AFP