By Thanasis Gavou

Responses and reports in the British media about the Tempe tragedy continue.

His envoy Sky News in Larissa describes the “full of sadness” image of the two trains that collided. “Such a common, everyday thing, hauling cargo off a train, students coming back from vacation. And yet now charged with so much sadness,” comments the British journalist.

He adds that the crash brings many somber thoughts to mind as crews continue to search day and night for bodies. Referring to the night business he writes:

“It’s quiet and there’s a sense of determination, but there’s also a sense of resignation. Something terrible happened here and time cannot be turned back. The feeling is so eerily strange, the scene is so lit against the night sky that it could even be a movie set. But, of course, it is actually something hopeless and hideous. The proof of a conflict that should never have happened.”

He adds that the accident did not surprise everyone, as there were warnings about the safety of the country’s railway network. “Does the responsibility fall on one person or is it the result of a lack of investment?” is the question conveyed by the Sky News envoy wanting to broadcast the debate that has opened in Greece.

The response concludes: “There is no excuse for what happened here, no excuse for the havoc that has been spread across this field, for the dead, for the dying and for the wounded. It shouldn’t have happened. The challenge for Greece is how to ensure that it never happens again.”

The BBC in his latest response he refers to the protest rallies that broke out outside the Hellenic Train offices after the accident, which many see as “expected”.

Reference is also made to the statements of Kyriakos Mitsotakis about “tragic human error” and the commitment to deliver justice, as well as the resignation of the responsible minister.

THE Guardian conveys the statement of the President of the Republic on “unspeakable tragedy” and the need for a procedure to identify corpses through DNA samples.

At the same time, the correspondent of the newspaper points out the questions that have been raised about the reasons that allowed the accident, with an emphasis on the “dire” state of the Greek railways.

“Greece’s rail system was among a number of utilities privatized when the debt-ridden country narrowly avoided financial collapse a decade ago. With the network forced to operate understaffed, with inadequate infrastructure and little automatic signalling, transport officials warned it was a disaster waiting to happen,” the report said.

The Times they report that the accident was attributed to a mistake by the stationmaster, but also add that many Greeks believe it was almost inevitable, resulting in protests outside Hellenic Train.

THE Telegraph notes that the investigation is trying to establish why the passenger train was moving on the left rail line reserved for Athens-bound trains.