ATHENS: Greek prosecutors on Thursday charged three extra railway officers in reference to the nation’s worst prepare crash, because the prime minister vowed “absolute transparency” within the probe into the tragedy.
9 days after the catastrophe, which claimed the lives of 57 folks, distraught mourners gathered for a spiritual ceremony close to the location of the accident.
Public anger has soared because the February 28 head-on collision in central Greece. Tens of hundreds demonstrating nationwide on Wednesday, and there have been extra protests on Thursday.
The stationmaster on responsibility on the time of the accident, who allegedly directed each trains onto the identical monitor by mistake, was charged a number of days in the past.
On Thursday, a rail supervisor chargeable for employees rotas — accused of getting put the inexperienced stationmaster on night time responsibility throughout a busy vacation interval — was charged by a prosecutor within the central metropolis of Larissa, a judicial supply informed AFP.
Additionally charged had been two different stationmasters, who reportedly left work early. All three face counts of negligent manslaughter, inflicting bodily hurt and transport disruption, and will face life in jail if convicted.
‘Crying from morning to nighttime’
With anger rising at long-running mismanagement of the rail community, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis opened his first cupboard assembly because the crash by vowing “absolute transparency within the investigation to uncover errors”.
The conservative chief, who is predicted to run for re-election within the coming months, additionally promised “rapid actions to enhance the problematic state of affairs within the railways”.
He would “transfer heaven and Earth”, he mentioned, to make sure enhancements to security programs had been accomplished.
“We’re all chargeable for this, we should be courageous sufficient to confess it,” mentioned Mitsotakis in televised remarks.
Victims’ family members and different mourners attended a spiritual ceremony on the crash website in Tempe, laying photos of these killed and candles amongst rocks by the monitor.
The mom of a 34-year-old sufferer collapsed as she left a bouquet of flowers and an image of her daughter, shouting: “I’ve misplaced my youngster, why?”
“Our soul is bleeding,” mentioned Maria Giannouli, a 75-year-old mourner from a close-by village. “We’re crying from morning to nighttime.”
Mass protests
On Wednesday, enormous crowds took to the streets within the largest protests but because the crash, calling for justice for the victims and for the federal government to resign.
They waved banners that learn “It’s not an accident, it’s a criminal offense” and “It may have been any of us on that prepare” as clashes erupted in Athens and Greece’s second metropolis Thessaloniki.
Greek civil servants staged a 24-hour walkout whereas medical doctors, academics and transport staff additionally went on strike on Wednesday.
Protests continued Thursday, with a whole lot of college college students gathering within the capital and Thessaloniki.
The federal government’s preliminary transfer in charge the stationmaster stoked public anger, some seeing it as a bid to deflect consideration from power underfunding and mismanagement of the railways.
In his remarks Thursday, the prime minister mentioned he felt “rage and disgrace” after listening to recordings of frightened calls by prepare officers to the stationmaster moments after the accident.
Within the calls, performed by Greek TV channels, the stationmaster repeatedly insists the 2 trains are on separate tracks.
However Mitsotakis additionally apologised once more and mentioned that “we… should not disguise behind a collection of human errors”.
Greece’s transport minister resigned following the crash, and the premier has been scrambling to restrict the political fallout and soothe public anger.
There’s now hypothesis that upcoming elections, initially anticipated in April, could possibly be delayed till Could.
Polls recommend the New Democracy governing get together nonetheless forward of Syriza, the primary opposition get together.
However the hole has narrowed following the prepare crash, in keeping with a survey by the Marc institute revealed late Thursday.