Greek Prime Minister apologizes for train collision, says government will immediately introduce measures to improve railway safety system
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized to all citizens on the 5th for the train collision that caused heavy casualties, saying that the government will immediately introduce measures to improve the railway safety system.
On the same day, the station master was formally charged and taken into custody.
Prime Minister issued an apology
Late at night on the 28th of last month, a high-speed passenger car and a freight car collided head-on on the same railroad track near the central Greek city of Larissa, causing multiple carriages to derail, deform and even be completely destroyed. There were more than 350 passengers on the bus. As of the 5th, officials confirmed that at least 57 people were killed, many of whom were young people in their teens and twenties.
According to the Greek media, this is the worst train accident in Greece so far.
Mitsotakis wrote on social media Facebook: “I deserve a solemn apology to everyone, especially the relatives of the victims, not only on behalf of me personally, but also on behalf of everyone who has governed this country for many years.”
“Two trains traveling towards each other on the same track, and no one noticed it. It is unimaginable that this kind of thing will happen in 2023. We cannot, do not want to, and we should not evade responsibility for this human error.”
Greek officials had previously attributed the accident to “human error,” sparking public criticism. Many people believe that this accident was not caused by a single individual, but that the entire railway safety system has long existed problems.
Greek media reported that the automatic signaling system on the railway section where the incident occurred was unavailable, and the station masters along the road could only communicate with each other or with the train driver using a wireless walkie-talkie.
A retired railway union worker told the Daily News that the signal system on the section of the road where the incident occurred broke down as early as six years ago, but it has not been repaired so far.
Costas Genidunias, head of the train drivers union, said that the railway traffic control system should have been upgraded three years ago, and they began sending letters to the railway company, railway regulatory authorities and the government in 2020 to raise concerns about the hidden dangers of the system. warning, but no response has been received so far.
The experience of the webmaster is questioned
Greek media reported that Vassilis Samaras, the station master of Larissa Railway Station, was responsible for the accident. He “pressed the wrong button” and dispatched two trains traveling in opposite directions to the same track.
Samaras, 59 years old, was questioned by an examining judge for 7 and a half hours on the 5th. He was subsequently charged with manslaughter and other crimes and was detained awaiting trial.
According to media reports, Samaras was originally a porter employed by the railway company involved. He was transferred to the Ministry of Education as a clerk in 2011, and was transferred back to the railway company in 2022. After five months of training, he became the station master.
According to the information released by Samaras on social media, he was assigned to Larissa Railway Station on January 23 this year, but he did not go to the post immediately. Instead, he rotated at other stations and did not arrive until a few days before the accident.
Samaras’ lawyer said that the day of the incident was a holiday, and there were a lot of people traveling. The railway company should have arranged more manpower, but at the time of the incident, only Samaras went to work at Larissa Station. “For 20 minutes, he was in charge of train safety throughout central Greece.” (Xinhua News Agency)
