Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized this Sunday to the families of the victims of the train crash that killed 57 people on Tuesday and sparked a large uprising among the Greek population.
“As prime minister, I owe everyone, but especially the families of the victims, to forgive,” Mitsotakis said in a message addressed to the Greeks, published on the social network Facebook.
“In Greece in 2023, it is impossible for two trains to travel in opposite directions on the same track and not see anyone,” he said.
“We can’t, we don’t want to, and we shouldn’t hide behind human error,” said the conservative prime minister, attributed to station chief Larisa.
Mitsokanis plans to attend a church service at an Orthodox cathedral in Athens on Sunday.
All churches in the country are planning to pay tribute to the victims of the accident, which occurred on Tuesday and also caused dozens of injuries, which the authorities called a “national tragedy”.
Also this Sunday, in Thessaloniki, the country’s second-largest city and home to many victims, Molotov cocktails were fired again against a platoon of anti-riot forces, Greek news agency ANA reported.
Responsibility for the disaster was claimed by the stationmaster of Larissa, the nearest city to the accident site between the train connecting Athens and Thessaloniki in the north, and the freight train.
Presented by the media as inexperienced and in office for a short time, the 59-year-old is due to be heard by Greek justice this Sunday and could be charged with manslaughter.
However, the state of degradation of the railway network, problems in the signaling and security system on the railways were noted as existing problems.
In recent weeks, union officials have warned of various shortcomings in the network and a shortage of staff.
The Greeks are planning to show their displeasure once again, at noon, in front of the Parliament, in the center of Athens.
In Athens and Thessaloniki, these protests have led to clashes between police and demonstrators in recent days.
On Friday, demonstrators protested and chanted calls for assassins outside the Hellenic Train headquarters in Athens and wrote the word in red letters on the front of the building.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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