Protests and rail strikes are happening across Greece following the train crash on Tuesday night as rail staff believe their warnings of system failures were ignored.

Anger has erupted throughout Greece after a passenger train crashed into a freight train before midnight on Tuesday leaving at least 46 people dead and many more injured.

The passenger train set off northbound leaving Athens at 7:22pm (GMT).

The crash was located near Tempe, north of the city Larissa.

Kostas Genidounias, president of the train drivers’ association, has claimed that the railway traffic control system and signals do not work: “If they had been working, the drivers would have seen the red light and the trains would have stopped 500 meters away from each other.”

A 24-hour strike took place yesterday affecting national rail services and the subway service in Athens.

The Greek government has been criticised for their neglect of the rail system.

The Greek Railroad Workers Union has said: “Unfortunately, our long-standing demands for staff hirings, better training and above all use of modern safety technology always end up in the wastepaper basket.”

The cause of the crash is currently unknown.