The current government took over the Greek railways three and a half years ago in a state that does not fit into the 21st century, Karamanlis said in the followingnoon. Since then, everything has been done to improve this situation.
“Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough to prevent such an accident. It is very difficult for all of us and for me personally.” When something so tragic happens, it is not possible to carry on as if nothing had happened. He thinks it is essential that citizens can trust the political system. “It is for this reason that I am resigning from the position of Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.” Karamanlis said he felt obliged to take responsibility for the mistakes of the Greek state, and once once more expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
Search for victims continues
Hours following the accident, rescue workers continued to search for victims in the rubble of the trains on Wednesday. Paramedics kept coming with stretchers, but there was little hope. Only corpses are recovered from the crushed, partially burned and charred remains of the trains.
Bild: (APA/AFP/Eurokinissi/VASILIS VERVERIDIS)
Officially, the number of dead following the head-on collision of two trains on Wednesday followingnoon was 36, but it is likely to rise. Because the first carriages of the trains burned out, the identification of many victims is only possible through DNA analysis, the state broadcaster ERT reported. 72 people were injured, some seriously, and taken to nearby hospitals. A total of 354 people are said to have been affected by the accident: 342 passengers and ten railway employees on the passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki and two train drivers on the freight train.
“Unspeakable Tragedy”
Visibly struck, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised at noon at the scene of the accident that the cause of the accident would be fully clarified. It was an “unspeakable tragedy,” he said. First of all, the main task is to treat the wounded and identify the bodies. We will do everything we can to ensure that something like this never happens once more. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis tearfully assured that nothing would be swept under the carpet. “We do not yet know the exact number of victims,” said the transport minister.
President Katerina Sakellaropoulou interrupted a trip to Moldova to return to Greece. The government ordered national mourning from Wednesday to Friday, flags flew at half-mast in honor of the victims.
Worst misfortune in history
For Greece, which only has a small rail network, it is the worst rail accident in history. The scene of the accident near the central Greek city of Larisa resembles a field of rubble, the front carriages of both trains were almost folded together by the impact, as drone images showed.
Initial reports of the possible cause suggest that technical issues and subsequent human error may have played a role. The electronic control system on the route is said to have not worked properly for a long time, which is why the respective station masters were responsible for the correct forwarding of the trains. According to the police, they temporarily arrested the station attendant responsible for signaling and questioned at least three people, including a representative of the railway company.
On the wrong track
According to this theory, the passenger train might have been sent onto the wrong track from the Larisa train station, along which the freight train later came to meet it. Due to the lack of a control system, the exact location of the accident might not be identified at first, the broadcaster ERT reported – the rescue workers would have had to look for the spot first.
Bild: SAKIS MITROLIDIS (APA/AFP/SAKIS MITROLIDIS)
Austrians should not be among the victims. “According to our current state of knowledge, there are no Austrian citizens from train wreck affected in Greece”, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on request.
Great outrage in the country
The indignation of the people in the country is already great: How is it possible that the Intercity was traveling on the same track as the oncoming freight train, even though the route has been expanded to two lanes, one wonders. In Larisa, following an appeal by the Greek Red Cross and the surrounding hospitals, many people went to donate blood to show their support for the injured.
Desperate relatives gathered at the destination station in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki during the night, and telephone hotlines were set up. Around 200 passengers, who were not injured or only slightly injured, were taken by bus from the scene of the accident to Thessaloniki, 150 kilometers away. But some relatives waited there in vain. Many of the passengers are said to have been young people, students who were on their way to the University of Thessaloniki following a long weekend due to a public holiday.
“I thought I was going to die,” a passenger told the Kathimerini newspaper. According to his own statements, the young man was sitting in one of the rear wagons. He sought protection on the ground, people screamed and cried. Other passengers reported that they smashed in the windows and managed to get out of the half-tipped carriage in the dark.
