The Greek government will pay a monthly pension of €1,600 to the families of the 57 people killed in the February 28 train crash in central Greece, the finance ministry said on Friday.
In a statement, the ministry specifies that each family will receive a monthly pension of about 1,600 euros for each member killed in the accident (there is the case of parents who lost two daughters), which will be tax-free and retroactive. until March 01.
The amount corresponds to four times the “non-contributory national pension” and is adjusted annually depending on its value.
“Human life cannot have a price. The minimum duty of the state in these circumstances is to help and support with humility the relatives of the victims,” reads in the statement.
All injured persons who are permanently disabled for more than 50% as a result of the accident are also entitled to this pension.
In addition, all debts to the state or to any bank – private or national – held by the immediate family members of the victims will also be eliminated.
On the night of February 28, a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train north of the town of Larissa and the collision killed 57 people and injured dozens more, mostly university students.
The accident, the greatest railway tragedy in Greek history, sparked outrage against the conservative government for failing to ensure that necessary safety measures were observed on the railways.
Tens of thousands of people protested against the executive across Greece on March 8, in one of the largest mobilizations in the country in recent years.
Greek Prime Minister, conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis, took political responsibility for the accident on Thursday, acknowledging the lack of safety measures that could have prevented the tragedy.
At the moment, five injured young people are still in intensive care in the hospital.
Source: DN
