Greece Train Crash Trial Opens, Adjourned Overcrowded

A criminal trial over Greece's deadliest train disaster opened Monday in Larissa, drawing hundreds of attendees to a makeshift courtroom that quickly became overcrowded and led to its abrupt adjournment. The proceedings stem from a February 28, 2023, head-on collision near Tempi in central Greece that killed 57 people, including many university students returning from a holiday weekend.

The crash occurred when a passenger train bound for Thessaloniki was routed onto the same track as an oncoming freight train, a mistake that went undetected for more than 10 minutes without any alarm activation. The impact sparked a fireball and explosion, trapping passengers in mangled carriages. Investigators determined that up to seven victims died from the ensuing fire after surviving the initial collision. The incident exposed chronic deficiencies in the country's rail network, including nonfunctional signaling systems, inadequate staffing and maintenance, despite years of warnings from unions and delays in safety upgrades funded partly by the European Union.

Presiding Judge Georgia Stefanidou adjourned the trial until April 1 after chaotic scenes unfolded in the converted university lecture...