The number of casualties from train collisions in Greece is still rising.
In the late evening of February 28, local time, near the city of Larissa, the fourth largest city in Greece, a high-speed passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided head-on with a freight train, with scattered carriages and piles of remains. The train collision has killed at least 43 people, injured dozens more and left many missing. Reuters pointed out that this was the deadliest train collision in the country in Greek people's memory.
"What Greece is going through as a country is very difficult." Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said during a visit to the scene of the accident, "We are talking about an unspeakable tragedy. ”
Authorities are investigating what caused the collision. On March 1, local time, Mitsotakis said in a televised speech, "Unfortunately, everything in this tragedy points to human error. ”
After the accident, the Greek public questioned the country's poor railway safety record. Workers of the Greek railway operator "Hellenic Train" staged a strike protest. "For dozens of colleagues and compatriots who died and were injured, pain has turned to anger." "Over the years, the Greek government's disrespect for railways has led to today's tragedy," the union statement read. ”
According to CCTV news reports, the Chinese embassy in Greece said it had not received reports of casualties of Chinese citizens in the Greek train accident.
"Nightmarish 10 seconds"
Late at night on February 28, local time, 28-year-old Stergios Minenis was sitting on a passenger train from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki. Many of the travelers traveling with Mininis were college students in their 20s who had just returned home from a long vacation.
Just as the train was pulling near the city of Larissa, 200 miles north of Athens, an accident suddenly happened.
Mininis experienced a "nightmarish 10 seconds." He told Reuters, "We heard a loud bang, then tumbled and tumbled inside the carriage, and finally everyone was lying on their sides. The fire happened almost immediately, and when we turned over, we were burned, and there were fires on the left and right. ”
The chaos of the impact lasted for ten seconds, with non-stop tumbling, burning cables, shattering windows, and screams everywhere. Some passengers said they had to smash the windows of the carriages to escape the burning train wreckage. Angelos Tsiamoura told the Hellenic Radio and Television Corporation (ERT) that the train collision felt like an earthquake and he had to break glass with his suitcase to escape.
On March 1, 2023, local time, near Larissa, Greece, rescuers stood near the wreckage after a train collision in Greece. Photo/Visual China
"It was a very strong collision." Konstantinos Agolastos, mayor of the region of Thessaly, to which the city of Larissa belongs, told Sky TV Greece that the first four cars of the passenger train were derailed, the first two cars were on fire, and almost all of them were destroyed. "They were all driving at great speed, and one driver didn't know the other was coming towards him."
After daybreak, dozens of rescuers used cranes to lift the charred wreckage of the derailed carriage in search of more victims. The train crash in Greece has killed at least 43 people, injured dozens more and left many missing, according to the Associated Press.
Larissa's chief coroner, Roubini Leondari, said 43 bodies had been sent to her for examination and that DNA identification would be required as most of the bodies were disfigured. "Most of the bodies are young people, and their condition is very bad."
There is a possibility that the death toll will rise further. Not only are there missing people, but the limitations of the situation on the ground make it difficult to accurately obtain the number of deaths. A spokesman for the fire brigade, who was responsible for the rescue at the scene, said the temperature inside the first compartment reached 1300°C, "which made it difficult for [us] to determine whether there was anyone inside." ”
"The train collision was caused by human error"
Until the night of March 1, local time, rescue work at the scene was still ongoing. A huge red crane lifted a pile of charred twisted metal from the wrecked train car, and the scorched pungent smell filled the night sky.
According to CNN, Greek fire department spokesman Vasrakoyannis said at least 150 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation, and 30 ambulances were sent to the scene.
Many relatives of the victims are now gathering around Larissa's hospital to await news. A relative told Reuters that his wife's sister had disappeared and that they were waiting for a DNA test, and that "it was lucky to have the body buried." ”
With grief hanging over people's hearts, the Greek government declared March 1-3 local time as a national day of mourning. Heartbroken, people are also angry, and most people are asking the same question: How did this fatal accident happen?
On March 1, 2023, local time, a crash occurred near Larissa, Greece, and rescuers worked next to the wreckage of the train. Photo/Visual China
Greek officials believe that the accident is mainly related to human error. On the evening of March 1, local time, Mitsotakis said in a televised speech that the government would set up an independent cross-party expert committee to fully investigate the causes of the accident and review the long-term delays in the implementation of the railway project. From the data collected so far, the accident was mainly caused by human error, but he did not disclose further details.
Greek police have arrested those involved. On March 1, local time, the police arrested the station chief in charge of signal work in Larissa City. According to the BBC, police said they would charge the station manager with causing death by negligence and causing serious bodily harm by negligence. But the stationmaster himself denied both allegations, blaming technical faults for the cause of the accident.
A Greek railway official told The New York Times on condition of anonymity that the electronic monitoring and early warning system along the railway line was not working properly, partly because of budget (inadequacy) and partly because the system was not fully operational enough to prevent such accidents.
"Greece's poor rail safety record"
The accident raised questions about the safety of Greece's railway infrastructure.
In 2022, a report published by the European Union Rail Agency noted that Greece has a poor rail passenger safety record compared to other European countries. Between 2018 and 2020, Greece had the highest rail fatality rate per million train kilometers traveled among 28 European countries.
Greece's rail problems have been going on for years. Railway experts told The New York Times that Greece's rail safety record is simply the worst in Europe, and that railway maintenance problems existed in Greece even before it was asked by the European Union to impose austerity measures in 2009 due to a debt crisis that led to significant budget cuts.
There are multiple factors behind railway safety issues. The European Data Journalism Network, a group of media organizations, reports that Greece's rail safety hazards are mainly due to unsafe level crossings, poor infrastructure and traffic management systems, and understaffing of railway companies.
The railway companies, for their part, blamed the government and staged strikes in protest. The Hellenic Train union of Greek rail operator has accused successive Greek governments of long-term neglect of Greek railways. "Unfortunately, our long-standing demands on recruitment, training and the use of modern safety technology have been thrown out of the wastepaper."
On March 1, 2023, local time, outside the headquarters of the Greek railway operator "Hellenic Train" in Athens, Greece, students lit candles to remember the victims. Photo/Visual China
On the part of the government, officials have stepped forward to take responsibility. Greece's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Kara Manlis and two officials of the national railway system have announced their resignations. Karamanlis said his resignation was a minimum of respect for those who had unjustly lost their lives, and that he was taking responsibility for the ills of the Greek state and political system.
"It is a fact that the Greek railway system does not meet the standards of the 21st century." Karamanlis added that over the past three and a half years, the government has done everything it can to improve the situation, and unfortunately, the effort has not been enough to prevent such a bad incident.
"This is a terrible railway accident unprecedented in Greece," said Mitsotakis, pledging to find out the cause of the tragedy and do everything the government can to ensure that it does not happen again.
In addition, the EU may intervene in the investigation. According to The New York Times, Greece is a member of the European Union, which has binding rules on railway safety, including conditions for issuing safety certificates for railway companies, and the obligation of member states to establish national railway safety agencies and independent accident investigation agencies. The European Union Rail Agency is responsible for working with member states to develop safety standards and to monitor and report on rail safety in the EU, and the European Commission may initiate legal proceedings against the government if an investigation proves that national safety standards are not in accordance with EU law.
The train collision could also have political implications. Greece is expected to hold general elections in early April, and political parties in Greece have also suspended their campaigning. Experts say the accident has clearly touched a nerve, though it's unclear how the tragedy will affect Greece's political map.
Beijing News reporter Luan Ruoxi
Edited by Zhang Lei Proofread by Lijun Li