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Human Error Led to the Railroad Disaster in Greece, States Prime Minister

Human Error Led to the Railroad Disaster in Greece, States Prime Minister
photo: Zekas Leonidas/Eurokinissi/AFP/Getty Images/Human Error Led to the Railroad Disaster in Greece, States Prime Minister
02 / 03 / 2023

One of the largest railroad disasters in Greece, which claimed at least 43 lives, was caused by "tragic human error."

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated this after visiting the site of a head-on collision between a passenger and a freight train on Tuesday evening, as reported by BBC. "Justice will do its job," Mitsotakis said in a televised address.

The head of the local station has been charged with manslaughter, and Greece's transportation minister has resigned following the crash.

The accident occurred on Tuesday before midnight. A passenger train carrying about 350 people collided with a freight train as it was exiting the tunnel after leaving the city of Larissa. It is still unclear why both trains were travelling on the same track. The station manager, who is responsible for changing signals, denies any fault and blames the accident on a possible technical malfunction.

The train was travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, which has a large student population, and it is believed to have been carrying many students returning from vacation. The unions said the accident exposed chronic shortcomings, including a lack of staff, faulty signals and outdated equipment.

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