Tens of thousands of Greeks rallied outside parliament in Athens on Sunday, demanding justice for the 57 people who lost their lives in the nation's deadliest train accident nearly two years ago.
Protesters displayed banners with poignant messages like "We won't forget" and "I have no oxygen," recalling a woman's final plea to emergency services that made headlines last week.
"We are here and we will not stop... until those responsible are held accountable," vowed Maria Karistianou, who tragically lost her 20-year-old daughter in the 2023 train tragedy.
Following the predominantly peaceful demonstration, some sporadic clashes occurred between law enforcement and a faction of protesters, making it one of the largest demonstrations in recent years held in the capital, with similar events taking place in other cities across Greece.
Investigations are ongoing concerning the fatal collision of a freight train and a passenger train, carrying students, just before midnight on February 28, 2023, along a route connecting Athens with Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city.
The catastrophe sparked nationwide outrage, with many attributing the incident to neglect of the rail system amid a decade-long financial crisis.
Even as two years have elapsed since the tragedy, many specifics regarding the victims' causes of death remain unsettled. Families accuse authorities of concealing evidence, an allegation that the government refutes.
"Two years after the tragedy, no one has been punished, no one is in prison," lamented Ilias Papangelis, whose 18-year-old daughter was among the casualties, addressing the crowd of demonstrators, some of whom chanted "Murderers."
The re-elected center-right government asserts that it is the responsibility of the judiciary to investigate the root of the disaster, pledging reforms for the railway system, although progress, according to the European Commission, has been sluggish.
The government's recent nomination of former parliament speaker Constantine Tassoulas faced strong opposition from relatives of the victims, who argue that parliament failed to scrutinize any potential political negligence during his tenure.
An independent report suggests the collision resulted in a massive fireball, yet the circumstances leading to the explosion remain ambiguous.
"We don't know what caused the explosion, what the (freight) train was carrying," expressed Nikos Plakias, who mourns the loss of his two daughters and a niece in the tragic event.
"We will always have questions... And should we need to seek justice at the European courts, we will," he added.