Human error and outdated infrastructure have been revealed by investigations as the main reasons for the deadly train crash in Greece two years ago.
The nearly 180-page report was released on Thursday, on the eve of a general strike and mass protests planned for the second anniversary of the February 28, 2023 tragedy.
The independent investigative committee found that the accident was caused by a mistake by a station manager, who sent a passenger train onto the same tracks as an approaching freight train. The collision, which caused 57 fatalities; 46 passengers and 11 workers, occurred near Tempi, about 400 km north of the capital, Athens.
Investigators also identified poor training, staff shortages and an aging rail system lacking modern safety controls as contributors to the tragic incident.
"An accident does not happen by chance. There is an accumulation of factors that contribute to the accident, because people also tend to make mistakes," said Christos Papadimitriou, Director of the Hellenic Authority for the Investigation of Air and Railway Safety, the group responsible for the investigation.
"The Greek railway system did not exist in 2023, it does not exist today either," he added, referring to the lack of public spending on railway systems due to the 2010-18 financial crisis.
The report noted that if modern safety technologies had existed, such an accident would not have occurred.
The government said it would respond to "very serious shortcomings, lack of personnel and insufficient funding", but added that opposition parties' claims that it had obstructed the investigation were not true.
The government is also deploying 5,000 police officers to patrol Athens on Friday, as public demonstrations and a general strike are expected to halt and disrupt public services and commercial activity. (A2 Televizion)
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