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A former senior railway official who is among the 36 people facing trial for various charges over Greece\u2019s deadliest train crash announced his intention to file criminal charges against the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Kostas Kyranakis, during Tuesday\u2019s court proceedings in Larissa.<\/p>\n
The move came a day after the government joined in the legal action against the defendant, the former head of the Larissa Inspection Department for Central and Southern Greece, and other railway officials, including the stationmaster who erroneously sent a passenger train and a freight train hurtling towards each other on the same track.<\/p>\n
The defendant is the one who appointed the untrained stationmaster in the specific position even though he knew, according to the indictment, that he did not have the qualifications.<\/p>\n
His lawyer told the court that the State was solely responsible for the fatal accident on February 28, pointing to a recent ruling of a civil court on the accident that demonstrated the absence of safety systems on the railway network \u2013 such as traffic lights and the automatic braking system (ETCS) \u2013 which are causally linked to the collision.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not commit a criminal act. He did not disrupt the safety of transport,\u201d his lawyer stressed.<\/p>\n
Alma Lata, mother of Claudia who lost her life in the train crash, shouted, \u201che knew who [the stationmaster] was and he put him there,\u201d meaning the evening shift.<\/p>\n
He also said his client intends to support the charges against former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Kostas A. Karamanlis, who is being investigated by the Supreme Court for the misdemeanor of breach of duty in the Tempe case.<\/p>\n
In total, out of the 36 defendants, most said through their lawyers that they reserved the right to file objections in the next session.<\/p>\n
The court adjourned for May 27 to allow for scheduled work to facilitate proceedings in the overcrowded, specially configured hall at the Conference Center of the University of Thessaly\u2019s Gaiopolis campus.<\/p>\n
The disaster occurred on the night of February 28, 2023, when a passenger train traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, carrying many students, collided head-on with a freight train in the Tempe gorge in central Greece.<\/p>\n
The impact triggered a massive fireball that engulfed the front carriages, killing several passengers instantly, while the remains of some victims were never recovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n