Greek train crash prompts protests as relatives give DNA to identify victims

‘I’ve lost my brother, my father. They bought tickets to death’

Relatives lined up to give DNA samples on Thursday in the hope of identifying victims of the Greek train disaster as strikes and protests erupted over the country’s outdated rail system.

Carriages were thrown off the tracks, crushed and engulfed in flames when a high-speed passenger train with more than 350 people on board collided head-on with a freight train.

As more bodies were recovered, the number of dead rose to 57, among them university students returning home after a long holiday weekend.