Protests and riots after serious train accident in Greece Despite warning North Korea: US and South Korea announce new military exercises

In Greece, after the serious train accident with many deaths, there were clashes between the police and demonstrators. After initially peaceful protest rallies in Athens and the central Greek city of Larisa on Friday night, hooded rioters threw fireworks and stones at police, state radio reported.

Thousands of demonstrators had previously taken to the streets because of the train accident that killed at least 57 people on Wednesday evening. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the rioters. The riots lasted about an hour. After that, the situation calmed down, the state broadcaster reports.

Particularly young people took part in the demonstrations. They chanted slogans against politicians who would be responsible for the dilapidated state of the Greek railways. After the accident, it was established that the ETCS (European Train Control System) – the system that stops the train in the event of imminent danger and thus also protects against human error – is defective.

On the night of March 1, a passenger train with some 350 people on board near Larisa, due to a wrong switch position, ended up on a track on which a freight train was approaching. Most of the victims were young people, mostly students, who went to Thessaloniki in northern Greece after a long weekend. The responsible railway employee at Larisa station has already been charged with negligent homicide. (sda/dpa)