This is the terrifying moment a huge explosion tore apart a car in a popular holiday tourist hotspot. CCTV footage captured the blast near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece’s main railway company, in a busy district of central Athens.
According to local media, a news website had recieved an anonymous call shortly before the blast, warning that a bomb had been planted and would explode within about 40 minutes. In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred “very close to its central offices” and said the blast on Friday night had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by.
Police cordoned off the site along a major avenue in the Greek capital, keeping residents and tourists away from the building in an area with several bars and restaurants. Officers at the scene said a bag containing an explosive device had been placed near the Hellenic Train building on Syngrou Avenue. Police forensics experts wearing white coveralls were collecting evidence at the scene.
Criticism over the government’s handling of the February 28, 2023 collision at Tempe in northern Greece has mounted over the last few weeks in the wake of the second anniversary of the disaster, which killed mostly young people who had been returning to university classes after a public holiday.
It said authorities had acted immediately upon receiving information about the warning call, and that the company was cooperating fully with authorities and ensuring the safety of its staff.
The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway disaster, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track.
The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests – led by relatives of the victims – against the country’s conservative government. Critics accused authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding 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.
Earlier on Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident.
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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