Mother of victim testifies in train crash parliamentary inquiry
“It was certain that a big accident would occur, they just did not know when,” said the mother of a victim of the Tempe train crash, during a parliamentary inquiry.
Maria Karystianou, who represents the families of the 57 victims of the train accident in Tempe, northern Greece testified at a special inquiry set up to investigate the train crash, said during an emotional testimony that “this crime does not involve just the 57 victims but the whole society.”
Her 20-year-old daughter Marti Psaropoulou died during the crash.
Those who have traveled with the train over the past few years have been lucky, “but they have been exposed to the risk of losing their lives because some people have not done their job and fraudulently urged them to use it,” she said.
“A year ago, one of the worst state crimes in the history of Greece occurred. And it brought to the surface an incredible revelation of corruption, unaccountability and complete abandonment of the Greek railways,” Karystianou said.
“Justice will be delivered one way or another. I hope it will come swiftly through the justice system. And may we never again mourn such deaths,” she added.
She said she was shocked when she found out that safety systems that were supposedly paid to be in place years ago had never even been installed.
“If we were aware of all this, we would’ve never allowed our loved ones to travel by train,” Karitsianou said.
