February 28th 2023, Greece, two trains were moving on the opposite direction on the same track for a quarter of an hour.
One freight train and one passenger train. The two trains eventually collided at full speed when they were crossing the Tempi valley.
There was a huge explosion which has lead many to believe that the freight train was carrying unsafe materials that were illegally trafficked.
As a result of the crash, 57 people died. Some burned or suffocated alive.
The youngest passenger was 14. Many students were riding the train as it's one of the most affordable ways of transport for long routes in Greece.
The details that emerged later are especially harrowing.
Some of the passengers that died were burned alive as is evident by sound byte evidence that was collected by emergency services:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsMwAzz9zpEStudents and youth were heard screaming "I have no oxygen" while being burned alive.
The soviet Union had an internal communication system on its trains by 1932. Greece still doesn't have it.
Back in February 2023, workers of made announcements through their union and demanded better safety measures, saying there are bound to be deaths.
The government's response had been to sue their union and denounce their strikes as illegal. Government officials even had the nerve to go to parliament and shame striking workers with the Minister of transport saying "You should be ashamed for raising supposed safety issues" only a month before the murder, or another minister saying after the murder that if the government had confirmed the safety issues no one would have been using the trains...
This clearly shows, that for them, profits go way above human life.
Every party that has been in government in Greece has contributed to this.
Cost cutting measures, privatizations and lack of investment in public infrastructure.
Tomorrow February 28th all Greeks all over the world are striking for the governments attempts to cover up the MURDER they are responsible for.
They've already done too much to cover it up:
Deleted and mishandled video evidence, put cement on the crash sight before there was an investigation, barred relatives from access to the accident cite... Even the son of a chief prosecutor investigating the case was mysteriously found dead. So far no politician has faced justice. But we won't let them get away with it!
If you have a demonstration near you can join in solidarity. But most importantly, don't let this happen to you.
All over the world, let's all organize our action so we never have to let any government or official take advantage of us and our lives again.
