The Greek parliament approved a motion on Tuesday to establish a committee that will examine how a minister responded to the consequences of a tragic train accident in 2023, just days after violent demonstrations erupted over the government’s perceived failure to take accountability, leading to widespread business disruptions.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Greece participated in protests on Friday to commemorate the second anniversary of the nation’s deadliest rail disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 57 individuals, predominantly students, as they called for justice for the victims.
On Wednesday, additional protests were planned outside the parliament, where political leaders were expected to discuss accountability related to the rail disaster. Opposition parties were likely to propose a motion of no confidence against the government.
A total of 277 lawmakers from the 300-seat parliament supported the main opposition’s proposal for the new committee.
Christos Triantopoulos, the Deputy Civil Protection Minister who held a ministerial position at the time of the tragedy, resigned on Tuesday to facilitate the parliamentary inquiry, as it is the sole entity with the authority to revoke politicians’ immunity and investigate them.
The parliament will look into the possibility of a breach of duty. Triantopoulos has rejected any allegations of misconduct.
A judicial inquiry into the accident is currently ongoing.
Family members of the victims have criticized the center-right government, which secured re-election following the incident in 2023 and holds 156 parliamentary seats, for failing to initiate or support a parliamentary investigation regarding political accountability.
They allege that officials attempted to conceal evidence by covering the crash site with gravel shortly after the incident. Triantopoulos, who was present at the location post-accident, has labeled these claims as unfounded.
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Christos Papadimitriou, who leads the rail division of Greece’s Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority—an independent agency created shortly after the tragedy—recently informed the Kathimerini newspaper that authorities’ negligence and inexperience may have contributed to the loss of critical evidence from the accident scene.
