Thousands of protesters on the streets of Greece over train accident

(Patria) - Thousands of workers in Greece went on strike today over the worst train accident in the country's history, which killed 57 people.

The accident on February 28 caused public outrage due to the very poor condition of Greek railways.

Years of Neglect

Strikers point out that years of neglect, insufficient investment, and too few workers, a legacy of the debt crisis, are to blame.

There were 350 passengers on the train, especially students returning from Athens to Thessaloniki after a long weekend.

The train collided with a freight train coming from the opposite direction on the same track in the Tempi valley.

The accident caused mass protests across the country. More than 10,000 people gathered in Athens on Sunday.

Railway workers have been on strike since Thursday, causing the suspension of train traffic. They emphasize that their demands for improved safety protocols have been ignored for years.

The ADEDY union, representing hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, also called for a one-day strike.

Disrupted Public Transport

Other transport workers also left their jobs in solidarity, disrupting metro, tram, and bus services in Athens, Hina reports. Transport workers are also on strike. Schoolchildren, students, and teachers will join the protests in the center of Athens.

Greece sold its state-owned railway operator, now called Hellenic Train, as part of an international bailout program in 2017 to the Italian state-owned company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

The government blames human error for the accident. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized to citizens on Sunday, admitting that years of neglect may have contributed to the accident.

The Minister of Transport resigned after the accident. The new minister is George Gerapetritis, and he is scheduled to meet with transport experts from the European Commission on Wednesday, which has promised assistance.