Thousands of protesters gathered Sunday outside Greece’s parliament, demanding justice for the 57 people who died two years ago in the Tempi train disaster.

The recent surge in protests was triggered by the release of several audio recordings from the emergency helpline, where victims trapped in the wreckage were heard desperately calling for help.

Protesters displayed the slogan “Den echo oxygono,” which means “I have no oxygen,” a phrase said by one of the victims heard in helpline recordings from the disaster.

The disaster, which occurred in February 2023 between Athens and Thessaloniki, prompted an investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding the head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train.

At the time, the collision provoked widespread public outrage and led to protests across Greece, with many citizens attributing the crash to the long-standing neglect of the country’s rail infrastructure, a consequence of the decade-long financial crisis.

Despite the passage of two years and the investigation still ongoing, the exact cause of death for several victims remains unresolved, with families of the deceased alleging that authorities are attempting to conceal crucial evidence.

According to local media, the content of the recently-published recordings combined with a “recent scientific report,” might indicate the possible existence of an illegal and highly flammable chemical in the other train whose explosion could have killed as many as thirty survivors of the initial collision.

Last year, the European Commission stated that Greece violated EU railway safety laws, specifically the Railway Safety Directive 2016/798, which mandates that member states ensure the proper management and supervision of railway safety, including the establishment of independent safety authorities, regular risk assessments, and the implementation of appropriate safety measures to prevent accidents.