Violent clashes broke out between police and protesters outside the Greek parliament in Athens on Sunday as thousands attended a rally following the nation’s worst rail disaster that killed 57, AFP reporters saw.

Some demonstrators set fire to rubbish bins and threw Molotov cocktails, while police responded ring tear gas and stun grenades.

Thousands of protesters gathered in anger and grief following the country’s worst rail disaster that killed 57 people, according to police.

Some 7,500 demonstrators poured onto the streets after calls by students, rail workers and public sector employees as train and metro services were paralysed by strike action.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday asked for forgiveness from the families of victims following the disaster which had sparked widespread outrage.

“As prime minister, I owe it to everyone, but especially to the victims’ relatives, (to ask for) forgiveness,” he wrote in a message addressed to the nation.

AFP