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Business News/ News / World/  Greece train crash: Driver asked to ignore red signal, station master held
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Greece train crash: Driver asked to ignore red signal, station master held

The station master initially blamed the collision on a technical fault, but later admitted to making a mistake.

A rescuer stands on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)Premium
A rescuer stands on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)

In connection the tragic train accident in Greece, the authorities on Thursday released dispatch audio recordings that appear to show one of the train drivers being instructed to ignore a red light. 

“Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron," the station master is heard saying, a CNN report cited. 

“Vasilis, am I good to go?" the train driver responds, to which the train master says “Go, go."

In a second conversation, the station master can be heard ordering an employee to keep one of the trains on the same track.

“Shall I turn it now?" the employee asks.

“No, no, because 1564 is on this route," the station master says.

The station master who gave the instruction has been arrested and charged with mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence. He initially blamed the collision on a technical fault, but later admitted to "making a mistake". 

The lawyer for the 59-year-old station master said his client has admitted partial responsibility for the crash, but stressed there were other factors at play. "My client has assumed his share of responsibility. But we must not focus on a tree when there is a forest behind it," lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis said on Thursday.

Massive protest in Athens

On Tuesday evening, a head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train near the city of Larissa in Greece left 57 people dead and another 48 in hospital. The incident has sparked anger across the country, with protesters taking to the streets and a rail workers' union going on strike. The transport minister has resigned in the wake of the tragedy.

Protesters have gathered outside the headquarters of Greek rail company Hellenic Train in Athens in a demonstration organized by student and worker unions. The protest has been largely peaceful, although there were clashes between demonstrators and police on Wednesday.

Most of the passengers involved in the accident were young, according to a local hospital. The incident has raised concerns about railway safety in Greece and led to calls for greater investment in the sector

 

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Published: 03 Mar 2023, 02:46 PM IST
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