(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, FEB 28 - Greece is expected to come to
a standstill Friday with sweeping strikes and protests to mark
the second anniversary of the country's worst rail tragedy, that
left 57 dead in 2023. Mounting public anger is putting pressure
on the government, with demonstrations planned in hundreds of
cities across Greece and abroad to demand justice for the
victims. A mobilisation tantamount to a general strike has been
called by unions, shutting down schools, public services,
trains, ferries, and most flights. On February 28, 2023, a train
from Athens to Thessaloniki carrying more than 350 passengers
collided with a freight train near the central city of Larissa.
The two trains had travelled towards each other on the same
track for miles without triggering any alarms. The accident was
blamed on faulty equipment and human error. Over 40 people have
been prosecuted, including the local station master responsible
for routing the trains. "Words are no longer enough," the
association of families affected by the train crash said in a
statement this month. "The time has come for action, for change,
for a future in which no family will have to live through such
pain again." According to the victims' families, protests and
gatherings will be held in over 200 cities and towns in Greece
and other European countries, as well as cities worldwide with
large ethnic Greek populations, such as New York and Melbourne.
(ANSA-AFP).
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