by Isidoros Karderinis
ATHENS, GREECE—Two years have passed since the tragic day of the train collision on 28 February 2023 in the Tempe Valley near the village of Evangelismos, located in the prefecture of Larissa, northeast of its capital of the same name, which is 129 kilometres from Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
The result of this dramatic event, often referred to as the ‘Tragedy in Tempe‘ or the ‘Tempe Crime,’ was a total of 57 deaths and at least 85 injuries, 25 of which were very serious. It remains the deadliest railway accident in Greece’s history.
Specifically, a passenger train operated by Hellenic Train, a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, was travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki with more than 350 passengers when it collided head-on at 23:21 with a commercial train of the same company.
The commercial train was travelling from Thessaloniki to Thriasio Pedio, a plain in the Attica prefecture, west of Athens.
The freight train was illegally carrying—meaning undeclared—a cargo of flammable chemicals weighing 3.5 tons.
This conclusion was reached following an investigation commissioned by reliable experts at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
The two trains were moving on the same line for 16 minutes before the fatal collision.
The collision derailed most of the passenger train’s carriages. At the moment of the crash, an instantaneous fireball and fire were caused, completely burning the two front carriages of the passenger train.
Most of the victims were Greeks, but among the dead were also six Albanians, one Romanian, one Syrian and one Bangladeshi national.
Following the accident, overnight protests and clashes with the police erupted across Greece. At the same time, on 2 March 2023, railway employees of the Hellenic Train and the Athens Metro went on strike to protest the dangers associated with the accident.
According to a poll conducted by the polling company Alco on behalf of the television station Alpha, 72% of surveyed citizens believe the government is attempting to cover up the issue.
By ‘cover-up,’ they refer to everything that transpired after the train collision in Tempe.
Between 1 March and 6 March 2023, the government removed soil from the site of the tragedy to a significant depth, laid thick impregnated quarry gravel, and covered it with concrete of substantial thickness.
At the same time, its initial statements about the freight train’s cargo conflicted with findings from independent investigations, which suggested the presence of undeclared hazardous materials. This discrepancy has fueled public accusations that the government misrepresented the contents of the train and sought to suppress key information.
Additionally, critics argue that the government shielded its ministers and executives from scrutiny to prevent them from revealing their role in altering the crash site and the loss of valuable evidence, such as biological material from the victims, which could have aided the investigation.
There should be no other case worldwide where the scene of a crime—especially one of such magnitude—is not only left uninvestigated but is also razed within 24 hours of the incident.
The Hellenic Train company, for its part, in its successive announcements about the train accident, claims that the commercial train was not carrying flammable materials.
In its report, which it has also delivered to the authorities, Hellenic Train characterizes the explosion and fire as an unfortunate coincidence.
The report attributes the fireball to the ignition of silicone-based cooling oil in the restaurant car.
However, independent investigations commissioned by the victims’ families suggest otherwise.
These reports indicate that the ‘fireball’ observed after the collision was likely caused by the ignition of undeclared hazardous materials, such as liquid chemical solvents like xylene and toluene, allegedly transported on the freight train.
This directly contradicts the official narrative and has fueled public suspicion of a cover-up regarding the train’s cargo.
Guardian graphic
But what has happened since then?
Despite the gravity of the incident, the judicial investigation into the Tempe train disaster has faced significant delays. It took nearly a year for legal proceedings to gain momentum, and only after persistent social outcry led by the victims’ relatives.
As of February 2025, no trial has taken place, with legal proceedings against railway personnel and management still ongoing. Reports indicate that a trial is not expected to begin until late 2025—more than two years after the disaster. This prolonged delay has fueled widespread frustration and deepened suspicions of a cover-up.
On Friday (February 28), exactly two years after the disaster, mass demonstrations erupted in 365 cities across Greece and beyond, as public anger over the government’s handling of the tragedy remained as intense as ever.
In Athens, the protest rally took place in the city’s central square, Syntagma Square (first photo), in front of Parliament, where a massive crowd filled the square and all surrounding streets.
With their strong presence, citizens voiced their demand for a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths of 57 people on the fateful night of February 28, 2023. Their calls for justice emphasized the need for full accountability, ensuring that all those responsible for the tragedy face consequences.
After the scheduled speeches at the rally in Athens concluded, violent incidents erupted.
Hooded individuals, intent on disrupting the otherwise peaceful gathering, threw Molotov cocktails and stones, resulting in at least five injuries.
Authorities reported that at least 41 people were arrested, and 20 individuals required medical attention during the violence outside parliament and in nearby streets.
Isidoros Karderinis is a journalist, foreign press correspondent, and author.
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