Larissa

Greek passenger trains resumed service at lower speeds and with stricter safety rules on Monday along the route where dozens of people travelling to northern Greece were killed in a crash in February.

Greece reopened some train routes on Wednesday, three weeks after a deadly train crash forced authorities to suspend all rail service across the country over safety concerns.

All passenger and freight services have been halted since a passenger and a cargo train carrying more than 350 people collided head-on on February 28 on the same track near the city of Larissa, killing 57.

Thousands of Greek workers walked off the job on Thursday and rallied in central Athens to protest failures of safety standards they claim helped cause the country's deadliest train crash, which killed 57 people on Feb. 28.

A protest march in Athens on March 3 over the deadly train crash near the city of Larissa. Photo: EPA-EFE/ALEXANDROS BELTES

They are also demanding that journalists be allowed to do their jobs without interference from media owners who usually have their own business agendas.

Other demands listed in a joint statement include better working conditions and salaries.

Two doctors working at a hospital in Volos have been suspended from duty pending a disciplinary inquiry after it emerged that they granted 30 days of sick leave to a key Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) supervisor just hours after the deadly train collision at the nearby Vale of Tempe.

More than 50 people died in the accident.
Riots broke out on Syntagma Square, and the police used tear gas and stun grenades, the media reported.

The train disaster in Greece provoked protests by the thousands. About 10,000 people marched in downtown Athens. The police used tear gas and stun grenades. pic.twitter.com/lrRYSgI3TN

Family members awaited the results of DNA testing to identify victims of a train crash that killed nearly 60 people in Greece, as workers went on strike Thursday saying the rail system is outdated, underfunded and dangerous.

The government has blamed human error, and a railway official was charged with manslaughter.

Anger and sorrow grew in Greece on Thursday over a devastating train crash that killed dozens of passengers along with crew members near the central city of Larissa in the country's worst rail disaster.

Rescuers at the scene of the train collision near Larissa in northern Greece, 1 March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS

"Justice will do its job," Mitsotakis said in a televised address after visiting the crash site. "People will be held accountable, while the state will be on the side of the people." he added.

A case file has been formed against a man from the central Greek town of Larissa for allegedly tying his dog with a strap to the bumper of his truck and dragging it around.

He was arrested on Sunday and charged with violating laws for the protection of pets.