Tuesday's crash killed at least 57 people and injured dozens when a
passenger train with more than 350 people on board careered into a
freight train on the same track.
The disaster in central Greece has triggered an outpouring of anger
and protests across the country, as well as a sharp focus on safety
standards across its railway system.
The station master of the nearby city of Larissa has been arrested
over the disaster, which the government has blamed on human error
but which railway workers' unions say was inevitable because of
deficient safety systems and understaffing.
He was expected to appear before a prosecutor on Saturday to respond
to felony charges of disrupting transport and putting lives at risk.
The train, traveling from Athens to the northern city of
Thessaloniki, was packed with students returning after a long
holiday weekend.
Police said 54 bodies out of 56 people reported missing by relatives
had so far been identified - almost all from DNA tests as the crash
was so violent. A 57th body has not been identified as no one has
appeared so far to give a DNA sample.
Bereaved families have vowed to seek justice.
"It is a very difficult situation," a relative told Greece's Skai
radio. "We will see how we will move (legally), we won’t let
anything go, the families’ demand is that they don’t get away with
it."
Railway workers union have staged 24-hour walkouts since Wednesday.
They extended labour action by 48 hours on Friday, demanding a clear
timetable by the government for the implementation of safety
protocols.
On Friday, police and protesters clashed after 2,000 students
marched through Athens, blocking the road in front of parliament for
a moment of silence. Students also demonstrated in Larissa and
Thessaloniki.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou; Editing by
Michele Kambas and Frances Kerry)
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