Greeks rally for justice in 2023 train crash

Brief clashes broke out between police and protesters after a largely peaceful rally outside parliament in Athens.

Tens of thousands of Greeks gathered to demand justice over a train crash in 2023 that killed 57 people in the country's worst railway disaster.

The protesters held banners reading: "I have no oxygen," echoing a woman's last words in a call to emergency services published by local media last week. 

Maria Karistianou, whose 20-year-old daughter, Marti Psaropoulou, died in the crash, said they would not stop until those responsible were held accountable and justice was served for their children. 

The crash triggered protests across Greece and abroad, where it was seen as the result of a wider neglect of public services after a decade-long financial crisis. The government promised reforms. 

On February 28, 2023, a freight train in central Greece collided head-on with a passenger train packed with students.

The investigation into the crash is still ongoing, delaying the start of a trial. Dozens of people have been charged so far, including a station master.

According to a report of experts hired by families, the crash led to an explosion and a 6-minute-long fireball.

The families, who have accused authorities of trying to cover up evidence, said that nearly half of the victims were killed by the explosion and the fire that burnt for more than an hour after the crash, rather than by the collision itself.

Nearly two years later, there has been no official conclusion on what caused that explosion and fire.

Government officials said last year that a trial was expected to take place in June 2024, but the judicial investigation is still in progress.