The head of the Hellenic Trains station, who was arrested after a train accident near the Greek city of Larisa, pleaded guilty. This was reported on March 1 by the TV channel ERT-1.
“I made a mistake and sent the passenger train along the same track as the freight train from Katerini,” the station chief said, citing his own police sources.
Earlier in the day, the head of the Hellenic Trains station was arrested by the police. He is primarily responsible for the accident. During the interrogation, he explained what caused the tragedy, and also why two trains were moving for an hour on the same track in the opposite direction.
In addition, Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned on March 1. In his statement, he noted that his decision was due to a sense of duty, respect for the memory of the dead and the desire to “take responsibility for the eternal mistakes of the Greek state and political system.”
A major rail accident occurred in Greece on March 1st. Not far from the city of Larisa, two trains, passenger and freight, which were moving towards each other, ended up on the same track. As a result, a collision occurred, and then a fire started.
The death toll has risen to 38. Another 85 were injured, 72 of them were hospitalized (six are in intensive care units). Authorities believe that the number of victims may still increase. There were a total of 354 people on the two trains (342 passengers and 12 employees).
