Greece train tragedy father ends 23-day hunger strike

Athens: The father of a victim of Greece s worst rail disaster has ended a 23 day hunger strike after persuading judicial authorities to examine the p...

Athens: The father of a victim of Greece's worst rail disaster has ended a 23-day hunger strike after persuading judicial authorities to examine the precise cause of his son's death.

"The hunger strike ends today," Panos Ruci, 48, told TV crews on Tuesday in front of parliament, where he had pitched a tent since September 15.

Ruci's son Denis was among 57 people, mostly students, who died on the night of February 28, 2023, when a passenger train and a freight train collided near the central city of Larissa.

Some families, backed by experts, suspect that their loved ones were killed by an explosion attributed to undeclared chemicals on board the freight train.

But though several families appealed to hold further tests on the victims' remains, judicial authorities refused because the official investigation found no signs of illegal cargo on board.