The 24-hour protest was called by the Federation of Railway Employees of Greece, which argued that government negligence led to the tragic accident.

Despite our constant requests for the hiring of permanent staff, better qualification and, most importantly, the implementation of modern security technologies, these are always thrown into the trash garbage can’, the union said in a statement.

In a related event earlier in the day, a group of about 1,000 people clashed with riot police outside the Railways headquarters in Athens.

The protesters were carrying out an action in support to the victims of the train accident in Tempi.

The number of victims as a result of the collision amounted to 42 dead, 15 people still missing and 72 injured, of whom 57 were hospitalized and are still under treatment in various hospitals in nearby cities.

jrr/jav/jf/amp.