Greece trial begins for rail disaster that killed 57

A criminal trial opened in Greece on Monday over a train collision that killed 57 people, many of them college students, in a disaster that horrified the country and revealed long-neglected safety failures.The February 2023 crash triggered a fireball on impact and left passengers trapped in mangled rail cars.Most of the 36 defendants - all rail and transport officials - face serious charges linked to endangering public transport.The crash occurred at Tempe in northern Greece after a passenger train was placed on the wrong track, into the path of an oncoming goods train an astonishing lapse on a rudimentary rail network.Investigators say the error was compounded by non-functioning signal systems along with failures in staffing, oversight and maintenance during years of delays in safety upgrades.03:08Demonstrators clash with Police in Greece as protests continue following deadly train crashDemonstrators clash with Police in Greece as protests continue following deadly train crashA converted campus is being used to house the trial to accommodate the scale of the proceedings that involve hundreds of witnesses.