Greek inquiry finds gaps in rail safety, two years after deadly crash

Athens: Greece's worst rail disaster in 2023 was due to chronic safety gaps that still need to be addressed to prevent a repeat, Greek investigators said on Thursday.

On February 28, 2023, a passenger train coming from Athens and a freight train coming from Thessaloniki collided head-on near Larissa in the Tempi area, killing 57 people, most of them students.

The probe by Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) into the causes of the crash and the state's response is the first by a national authority to conclude.

It comes just before the anniversary of the disaster, which Greeks will mark with mass demonstrations that are expected to bring the country to a standstill.

"Those children were killed because the train was not safe," said HARSIA's head, Christos Papadimitriou, describing the report as an X-ray of the rail system that would help to address deficiencies.

HARSIA has drafted 17 recommendations for the railway regulator; the operator, Hellenic Train; the state-owned Hellenic Railways Organisation, responsible for the network; and the transport ministry.

The recommendations cover hiring and training, renewal of assets, and deployment of recording equipment to help with accident analysis.

The crash led to a huge fireball and an explosion, but it is still unclear how they happened. Most of the victims died in the crash, but up to seven were killed by the fire, HARSIA said.

The authority was only set up in late 2023 and launched its probe in March 2024, more than a year after the crash, which meant it had to rely on others for much of its information, it said.

A judicial investigation is expected to wrap up this year. Experts hired by the families released their findings more than a year ago, highlighting safety deficiencies.