Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked today, Monday, that the Supreme Court give "high priority" to investigations related to the collision of the two trains, which on February 28 killed 57 people and sparked angry protests across the country.
"The Greek people want an immediate and comprehensive clarification of the criminal incidents linked to this tragic incident," said a letter addressed to Mitsotakis to the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court.
The letter specified that the court's investigation into the tragedy was separate from the investigation initiated by government-appointed experts.
For the sixth day in a row, Monday's strike paralyzed intercity rail traffic, while 12,000 people took to the large Syntagma Square in front of Parliament in the Greek capital, carrying banners reading "Down with murderous governments!" and "It was no human error!"
Yesterday, Sunday, the fourth protest gathering in Athens since the incident occurred, witnessed violent clashes between the police and demonstrators, as they threw Molotov cocktails, while the police responded by throwing tear gas and stun grenades.
Public anger over the disaster also included the railway company "Hellenic Train", which was established in 2017 as a result of the partial privatization of the public group "OSE", as part of the aid plan imposed by the lenders on Greece during the economic crisis (2009-2018).
The company is accused of a number of cases of negligence and negligence that led to the disaster, which the authorities described as a "national tragedy" and prompted the Minister of Transport to resign.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter that she had discussed with the Greek prime minister possible "technical support" from the EU to Athens "to modernize its railway network and enhance its safety".
The collision occurred on the evening of Tuesday, February 28, between two trains that traveled several kilometers in opposite directions on the same railway linking Athens and Thessaloniki, the two largest Greek cities, before colliding with one another, killing dozens of passengers.
The disaster caused grief and anger in Greece, especially since a large number of the victims were young students returning from a long weekend to Thessaloniki, the large university city in the north.