Economou: Cabinet meeting on Tempi accident issues at 11:00 on Thursday

Greek society is still in a state of shock after the tragic and multiple fatalities of the rail accident in Tempi, government spokesperson Yiannis Economou commented as he launched the daily press briefing on Monday.

Economou announced a meeting of the cabinet at 11:00 on Thursday, at which Minister of State for infrastructure and transport Giorgos Gerapetritis will carry out a briefing on issues concerning the tragic accident and ministers will discuss legislation and actions that must be taken for things that need to be done immediately.

"There is a surfeit of pain, sorrow and rage as no one has yet managed to process and rationalise this awful, horrific event. The thoughts of every one of us are with the families who so unfairly lost their loved ones, their children, parents, siblings, the people that lost friends and colleagues," Economou said.

All Greeks felt compassion for the tragedy that has affected dozens of families and will continue to haunt "both our individual and collective memories," he added.

The spokesperson referred to the steps taken to care for the injured, both pratically and emotionally, as well as the prime minister's deep apology on behalf of himself and previous governments, noting that "the Greek State has a past, a present and, of course, a future" and that the government has no intention of "hiding behind human error".

He said that immediate action that will be announced in the coming days by Gerapetritis to ensure safety on the rail network, until the electronic management system is ready, as well as referring to other measures and actions announced by the prime minister on Sunday.

"As the prime minister said from the first moment, we all have an obligation to do whatever is in our power so that such a tragic event never happens again," Economou said, adding that a full investigation into the causes of the accident was a priority.

Regarding the expert committee set up to look into the chronic systemic shortcomings of the rail network, he emphasised that this would be non-partisan, technocratic and capable and that it's task was not to look into responsibility for the crash, which will be the focus of the judicial investigation.

"It will do its work with transparency, objectivity, without interventions and fully in the shortest possible time and will on no account replace Greek justice," he said.

On the contrary, he added, its conclusions will be at the disposal of justice, as indicated in the prime minister's letter to Supreme Court Prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos.

The spokesperson also referred to the long-standing problems of the Greek railways, noting previous deadly accidents and the systematic vandalism and inability to repair damages that had rendered the previous technological infrastructure inoperable.

He stressed that the government guarantees to shed plentiful light on all aspects of the accident, while adding that an assessment of the state of the rail network neither seeks nor is able to "lift the veil of pain that has covered our country and darkens everything."

"Nor, however, are nihilism, vague aphorisms and especially the lies some have put about from the first moment of the tragedy in any way helpful," he added, talking of attempts to "usurp the grief and rage of Greek society".