Latest news with #ChristosTriantopoulos
Al Arabiya
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Bomb blast outside offices of Greece rail accident company
A bomb exploded Friday outside the Athens offices of Hellenic Train, the company involved in Greece's worst rail disaster, which claimed 57 lives in 2023, police said. The police said anonymous calls to Greek media warned of the attack near one of the capital's busiest highways. There were no immediate reports of injuries in an area neighbouring hotels, restaurants and tourist rentals. The Hellenic Train building also appeared undamaged. Greek daily Efsyn and news website Zougla, both of which received a call, said the explosive device had apparently been hidden in a padlocked backpack, placed on a scooter without licence plates. A police bomb disposal squad arrived too late to detonate the device before it exploded, they said. A nearby hotel had earlier been evacuated, state TV ERT said. The attack was similar to one carried out outside the Greek ministry of labour in February 2024. Fifty-seven people, most of them young students, died in February 2023 when a passenger train and a freight train collided in Tempe, central Greece, after being allowed to run on the same track. The accident has sparked sweeping strikes and hundreds of protests in Greece and abroad this year. It also brought about two votes of no confidence last year and in March that the conservative government overcame. The train's Italian-owned operator Hellenic Train has denied knowledge of any illegal cargo on the freight train. Over 40 people have been prosecuted, including the local station master responsible for routing the trains. A trial into the accident is not expected before the end of the year. Earlier Friday, parliament voted to refer a former junior minister to justice on possible misdemeanour charges for breach of duty in connection to the aftermath of the accident. Opposition parties say Christos Triantopoulos, who was dispatched by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the scene after the accident, authorised the bulldozing of the crash site which led to the loss of vital evidence. Triantopoulos denies any wrongdoing and says he was overseeing relief efforts. Greece's intercity trains went under private management in 2017, when state-owned Greek rail traffic services operator TrainOSE was privatised and sold to Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, becoming Hellenic Train. Greek state company OSE still owns the tracks. Hellenic Train's former CEO Maurizio Capotorto has reportedly been summoned to testify before a magistrate, on suspicion of giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee into the disaster in January 2024.
MTV Lebanon
05-03-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Greek minister faces probe into handling of deadly train crash after violent protests
The Greek parliament voted on Tuesday to set up a committee to investigate how a minister handled the aftermath of a deadly 2023 train crash, opens new tab, days after violent protests over a perceived lack of government accountability brought businesses to a halt. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the country's worst rail disaster that killed 57 people, most of them students, demanding justice for the victims. On Wednesday, fresh protests were scheduled outside parliament, where political leaders were set to debate responsibility over the rail tragedy. Opposition parties were likely to submit a censure motion against the government. A majority of 277 lawmakers in the 300-seat house backed the motion by the main opposition for the new committee. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Christos Triantopoulos, who was a state minister at the time of the crash, resigned from his post on Tuesday, to support the inquiry by parliament, the only body that can lift politicians' immunity and probe them. Parliament will investigate a potential breach of duty. Triantopoulos has denied any wrongdoing. A judicial investigation into the crash is in progress. Relatives of the victims have criticized the centre-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023 and has 156 parliamentary seats, for not initiating or supporting a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. They say that the authorities attempted to cover up evidence by laying down gravel at the scene soon after the crash. Triantopoulos, who was at the site after the incident, has dismissed the allegations as groundless. Christos Papadimitriou, head of the rail division of Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority, an independent agency set up months after the crash, last week told the Kathimerini paper that authorities' ignorance and lack of experience were possible reasons for the loss of significant evidence from the scene.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greek minister faces probe into handling of deadly train crash after violent protests
ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek parliament voted on Tuesday to set up a committee to investigate how a minister handled the aftermath of a deadly 2023 train crash, days after violent protests over a perceived lack of government accountability brought businesses to a halt. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the country's worst rail disaster that killed 57 people, most of them students, demanding justice for the victims. On Wednesday, fresh protests were scheduled outside parliament, where political leaders were set to debate responsibility over the rail tragedy. Opposition parties were likely to submit a censure motion against the government. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. A majority of 277 lawmakers in the 300-seat house backed the motion by the main opposition for the new committee. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Christos Triantopoulos, who was a state minister at the time of the crash, resigned from his post on Tuesday, to support the inquiry by parliament, the only body that can lift politicians' immunity and probe them. Parliament will investigate a potential breach of duty. Triantopoulos has denied any wrongdoing. A judicial investigation into the crash is in progress. Relatives of the victims have criticized the centre-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023 and has 156 parliamentary seats, for not initiating or supporting a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. They say that the authorities attempted to cover up evidence by laying down gravel at the scene soon after the crash. Triantopoulos, who was at the site after the incident, has dismissed the allegations as groundless. Christos Papadimitriou, head of the rail division of Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority, an independent agency set up months after the crash, last week told the Kathimerini paper that authorities' ignorance and lack of experience were possible reasons for the loss of significant evidence from the scene.
Reuters
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Greek minister faces probe into handling of deadly train crash after violent protests
ATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) - The Greek parliament voted on Tuesday to set up a committee to investigate how a minister handled the aftermath of a deadly 2023 train crash, opens new tab, days after violent protests over a perceived lack of government accountability brought businesses to a halt. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the country's worst rail disaster that killed 57 people, most of them students, demanding justice for the victims. On Wednesday, fresh protests were scheduled outside parliament, where political leaders were set to debate responsibility over the rail tragedy. Opposition parties were likely to submit a censure motion against the government. A majority of 277 lawmakers in the 300-seat house backed the motion by the main opposition for the new committee. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Christos Triantopoulos, who was a state minister at the time of the crash, resigned from his post on Tuesday, to support the inquiry by parliament, the only body that can lift politicians' immunity and probe them. Parliament will investigate a potential breach of duty. Triantopoulos has denied any wrongdoing. A judicial investigation into the crash is in progress. Relatives of the victims have criticized the centre-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023 and has 156 parliamentary seats, for not initiating or supporting a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. They say that the authorities attempted to cover up evidence by laying down gravel at the scene soon after the crash. Triantopoulos, who was at the site after the incident, has dismissed the allegations as groundless. Christos Papadimitriou, head of the rail division of Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority, an independent agency set up months after the crash, last week told the Kathimerini paper that authorities' ignorance and lack of experience were possible reasons for the loss of significant evidence from the scene.
Washington Post
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Greek deputy civil protection minister resigns over rail disaster site tampering claim
ATHENS, Greece — A Greek deputy minister resigned on Thursday following allegations of evidence tampering at the site of the 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives when two trainswere involved in a head-on collision . Christos Triantopoulos, deputy minister for civil protection, stepped down following claims by the main opposition party that he participated in unauthorized alterations at the crash site. He denies the accusations.
