Athens: Bomb explodes outside Hellenic Train’s offices amid anger over Greece’s worst train disaster

Police in Greece are investigating after a bomb exploded outside the offices of the country’s main railway company.

There were no reports of injuries after the blast next to Hellenic Train’s offices in central Athens on Friday evening.

An anonymous phone warning was reportedly made to a newspaper and a news website, saying a bomb had been left outside the railway company offices and would go off within about 40 minutes.

Police forensics experts wearing white coveralls were pictured collecting evidence at the scene following the blast on Syngrou Avenue, a major road in the Greek capital.

The male caller gave a timeframe of 35 to 40 minutes and insisted it was not a joke, local media outlet efsyn said.

Police cordoned off the site, keeping people away from the building in an area with several bars and restaurants.

A bag, described in local media as a rucksack, containing an explosive device had been placed near the Hellenic Train building.

The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over the Tempe railway disaster in which 57 people, mostly university students, were killed in northern Greece.

The government has been widely criticised for its handling of the aftermath of the country’s deadliest rail disaster when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track on 28 February 2023.

Unhappiness has grown over the last few weeks in the wake of the second anniversary of the tragedy.

Safety deficiencies exposed

The crash, which exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems, has triggered mass protests, led by the relatives of those killed, which have targeted the country’s conservative government.

Critics accuse authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or hold senior officials accountable.

So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes. Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police.

Heated debate in parliament

Earlier on Friday, a heated debate on the accident in the Greek parliament saw a former cabinet minister referred to investigators for alleged failures in his handling of the immediate aftermath of the crash.

Hellenic Train said it “unreservedly condemns every form of violence and tension which are triggering a climate of toxicity that is undermining all progress”.

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Greece has a long history of politically motivated violence, with domestic extremist groups carrying out small-scale bombings which usually cause damage but rarely lead to injuries.