Greek opposition accuses government of evidence manipulation in train tragedy

Greek opposition parties accuse the government of falsifying data to influence public perception of the country’s worst train accident in February 2023

Greek opposition parties accused the government Sunday, of falsifying data with a purpose to sway public perception of the country’s worst train accident.

The opposition has promised to present a vote of no-confidence in response.

Prominent leftist and center-left parties claimed, citing a story in a newspaper, that the government gave favorable media outlets selectively altered recordings of train employees. They allege the intention was to support a story that linked human error to the crash that resulted in the deaths of fifty-seven people in Feb. 2023.

The head of the PASOK socialist party, Nikos Androulakis, said, “There is only one way: a censure motion.”

The largest opposition party, Syriza, echoed this view and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Meanwhile, the censure resolution was promised backing by the small socialist New Left party.

The nationalist Hellenic Solution Party and the Communist KKE party later endorsed the idea.

The disaster in question had occurred just before midnight, a freight train and a passenger train, consisting mostly of students, collided at a tunnel outside the Greek city of Larissa, resulting in a deadly event.

Recordings of train employees from the night of the accident that were leaked and first broadcast by the media are now being examined.

The To Vima Weekly claims that these recordings were altered to make it seem human error was the only cause of the catastrophe.

Specifically, video footage that showed the station master giving the go-ahead for an anonymous train driver was included.

Vima, on the other hand, claimed that the conversation was with a driver from a different train and that the name was purposefully left out to imply participation in the crash.

Though To Vima alluded to illegal access to documents meant exclusively for investigators, the origin of this purported alteration is still unknown.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis had already come under fire for declaring the disaster to be the result of “human error” before the probe was finished.

The administration responded to the accusations by calling the report “baseless” and applauding the upcoming parliamentary no-confidence vote.

“This vile endeavor will not succeed,” said government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis as the administration seems ready to face any opposition with 158 legislators holding an absolute majority in the 300-seat legislature.

After a four-month parliamentary investigation into the disaster that ended without placing responsibility on top authorities, the opposition’s ire intensified.

Critics criticized the probe for failing to question important witnesses, claiming it was an effort at a cover-up.

A trial for over 30 railway workers and authorities is scheduled to start in June. The allegations are related to the accident.

Greece’s vast rail system, which spans 2,552 kilometers (1585.7 miles), has long struggled with poor maintenance, poor administration, and antiquated infrastructure.

Taking things into their own hands, several victims’ families have hired outside specialists to examine the case because government investigators failed to find important evidence.

Source: AFP