The father of a young man killed in Greece’s deadliest rail disaster has begun a hunger strike, demanding a full forensic investigation nearly two years after the crash.
Panos Ruci, whose 22-year-old son Denis died in the 2023 collision, has been staging a protest outside the Greek parliament since September 15, refusing food in anger over prosecutors’ rejection of his request to exhume his son’s body.
“For two and a half years I have been unable to obtain justice… I demand authorisation for the exhumation,” Ruci told AFP on Sunday. “Otherwise we’ll be here day and night.”
The February 2023 disaster claimed 57 lives, most of them students, when a passenger train and a freight train were mistakenly routed onto the same track for 12 minutes before colliding near Tempe, central Greece.
The accident triggered widespread outrage, strikes, and mass protests at home and abroad, with critics accusing the government of failing to conduct a credible investigation.
So far, over 40 people have been prosecuted, including the station master on duty that night. Two senior officials, among them the former transport minister, have also been referred to judges, but are expected to face only misdemeanour charges — a decision that has infuriated victims’ families.
Polls indicate that a majority of Greeks believe the authorities attempted to cover up evidence, a suspicion reinforced when the crash site was bulldozed soon after the accident.
Relatives are also pressing for additional toxicology tests amid suspicions that one of the trains was carrying undeclared chemicals, which may have triggered an explosion following the crash.
Although the case was formally closed in August, families of the victims insist they will continue to fight for accountability. The trial is not expected to begin until 2026.
