Death toll rises, dozens still missing
The official confirmed death toll of the Tempe rail crash rose to 57 late on Thursday night, with 56 passengers still missing according to the latest release by the Hellenic Fire Service.
Rescue operations were still under way under difficult conditions, with the focus now being on the third carriage that is almost completely overturned. The efforts were also being assisted by a digger.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos has called on the investigating Larissa prosecutor to broaden his search in all directions to identify those responsible for the deadly rail collision in central Greece just before midnight Tuesday.
He stressed that the aim of the investigation into the circumstances that led to the passenger train heading to the northern city of Thessaloniki colliding with a freight train coming in the opposite direction is to pinpoint those responsible.
“Whoever they are, wherever they may belong, wherever they are from, whatever they represent,” Dogiakos said, signaling that investigations will also focus on failures in the security systems, the appointment of an inexperienced stationmaster to such a key position and others.
Also on Thursday, the Hellenic Train stationmaster in Larissa, aged 59, who was arrested on Wednesday was given until Saturday to prepare his defense.
On Thursday he was charged by an investigative magistrate with dangerous disruptions of transportation, which due to the deaths caused is considered a felony, his lawyer told journalists outside the court.
He is also expected to face charges of manslaughter through negligence, bodily harm through negligence and dangerous interventions in means of transportation (Article 291 of the Penal Code).
“On a human level, he’s devastated. He is reflecting upon what happened and cannot bear the burden of responsibility. He accepts the responsibility that belongs to him,” his lawyer said. “But it is important that we do not miss the forest for the trees. And here, there is a ‘forest’ of responsibilities,” he added.
“I believe that justice will do its job very well.”
