The primary inquiry by a nationwide authority additionally pointed to the doable presence of an ‘unknown gas’.
Greece’s worst rail disaster in 2023 was resulting from continual security gaps that also have to be addressed to forestall a repeat, investigators have stated a day earlier than the tragedy’s second anniversary.
The inquiry by the Nationwide Aviation Investigation Company and Railway Accidents and Transportation Security (HARSIA), the primary by the Greek authorities to conclude, investigated the causes of the crash that killed 57 folks as a passenger prepare and a freight prepare collided head-on close to Larissa.
The incident on February 28, 2023, led to public outrage and prompted widespread demonstrations, because the households of the victims accused authorities of attempting to cowl up proof. The crash led to an enormous fireball and an explosion of unclear origin.
HARSIA stated a lot of the victims died within the crash, however as much as seven have been killed by the hearth.
The report pointed to the “doable presence” of an “unknown gas” on the scene.
An earlier inquiry by specialists, funded by the victims’ households, had claimed that the freight prepare was carrying an unlawful and unreported load of explosive chemical compounds, which contributed to the excessive demise toll.
The Italian-owned operator Hellenic Practice has denied data of any unlawful cargo on the freight prepare.
Christos Papadimitriou, HARSIA’s head, described the report as an X-ray of the rail system that may assist to handle deficiencies.
The company famous that dramatic cuts imposed throughout the 2009-18 Greek financial disaster had enormously undermined the nation’s rail community, each in employees and different sources. It added that the state-run Hellenic Railways Organisation, or OSE, was “stretching the bounds of their operational employees past what’s humanly acceptable in a sustainable manner”.
As well as, the operator Hellenic Practice “couldn’t reveal that that they had put in place ongoing coaching, specifically for safety-related communications and related non-technical competencies”.
HARSIA drafted 17 suggestions for the railway regulator, Hellenic Practice, OSE, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation.
A judicial investigation is anticipated to conclude this 12 months.
The anniversary on Friday might be marked by sweeping strikes and a whole bunch of protests in Greece and overseas.
