Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Kostas Karamanlis announced he has resigned in a statement he released.

“I have just returned from the scene of the railway tragedy in Tempi. The pain is unspeakable.

It is a fact that we received the Greek railway in a state that does not suit the 21st century. In these 3.5 years, we made every effort to improve this reality. Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough to prevent such an accident. And this is very heavy for all of us and for me personally.

When something so tragic happens, it is not possible to carry on as if it didn’t happen. I have been in politics for a few years, but I consider it a necessary element of our democracy that the citizens of our country trust the political system. This is called political responsibility.

For this reason, I am resigning from the position of Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. It is what I feel my duty to do as a minimal sign of respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly and to take responsibility for the timeless mistakes of the Greek state and political system.

From the bottom of my heart, I once again express my pain and support to the families of the victims.”