Almost 60 people lost their lives when a cargo train and a passenger train collided in Greece, in the country’s worst-ever rail disaster. The crash happened late Tuesday night and was caught on surveillance video.
Footage shows one of the trains approaching before a bright flash and a massive explosion. Over 50 people are still hospitalized, with many suffering severe burns.
The disaster has caused outrage in Greece and sparked a heated debate about the country’s public transport network. It appears that the cause of the collision was due to human error.
The death toll has climbed to 57 as more burned remains are removed from the wreckage. The exact cause of the crash is still unknown, but the station master in charge of a station near the crash site has accepted responsibility and was arrested on Wednesday. The station master confessed to the error, according to a government spokesman.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision “a horrific rail accident without precedent in our country.” He vowed that there would be a complete and independent investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The prime minister believes that the accident was “mainly due to a tragic human error.”
Many Greeks have criticized the country’s poor rail safety record. Rail network workers went on strike over the disaster, and many Greeks are calling for urgent improvements to the country’s public transport network.
Most of the people who died or were injured in the crash were university students returning to classes after a break. The fiery crash has shocked the country, and many are mourning the loss of life.