Thousands block Athens traffic to protest delays in Greek rail disaster inquiry
Thousands block Athens traffic to protest delays in Greek rail disaster inquiry
A student holds a flare as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which read in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which reads in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a flare as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a flare as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which read in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which read in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7. 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which reads in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A student holds a placard which reads in Greek “I have no Oxygen”, as several thousand high school and university students take part in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Several thousand high school and university students blocked traffic in central Athens Friday in an anti-government protest against delays in an investigation into a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives.
Protesters marched through the city center, chanting “Murderers! Murderers!” as hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, stood by.
The fatal head-on collision occurred near Tempe, in northern Greece, when a passenger train was incorrectly routed onto the same track as an oncoming freight train.
Delays in the disaster investigation have intensified pressure on the conservative government ahead of the two-year anniversary of the crash on Feb. 28. The tragedy already prompted massive public protests and political controversy.