Tempi rail disaster trial hears survivor testimonies and railway neglect claims in Larissa
Survivors and victims' relatives testified before the Three-Member Appeals Court for Felonies in Larissa on Monday, recounting the Tempi train collision and alleging systemic railway neglect since 2010.
Survivor recounts moment of impact
The Three-Member Appeals Court for Felonies in Larissa resumed hearings on Monday morning with testimonies from prosecution support witnesses in the Tempi train disaster trial. A female passenger traveling in the fifth carriage of the Intercity train was the first witness to take the stand before the judicial panel. She provided a detailed account of the moment of collision, describing the physical conditions inside the passenger cars as the train derailed. After the carriage tilted violently to the left, passengers coordinated their escape through the dark railway tunnel toward the roadway. Looking back into the tunnel during the evacuation, she testified to seeing what looked like a wreath of fire positioned directly over the train.
Describing the physical impact inside the carriage, the passenger addressed the court.
It was like a bomb exploded. The carriage had tilted to the left, I got up, and went towards the corridor. I heard a girl shouting "fire, fire". A passenger took the hammer and broke the window. Smoke started coming in and the atmosphere became suffocating.
Families of railway staff give evidence
The court proceeded with statements from relatives of crew members who lost their lives in the collision. The fiancee of deceased assistant train driver Nikolaos Nalbantis gave her testimony regarding the circumstances surrounding the fatal journey. Next to appear was the sister of Ioannis Tzovaras, who had been working aboard the Intercity as a ticket inspector on the night of the crash. The evidentiary session continued with testimonies from the family of Dimitrios Oikou. Dimitrios Oikou was an active train driver who was travelling as an off-duty passenger on the Intercity when the collision occurred.
- Survivor testified about collision impact, cabin fire, and evacuation through the tunnel
- Fiancee of deceased assistant train driver presented evidence
- Sister of deceased Intercity ticket inspector testified before the court
- Retired train driver testified on railway safety degradation since 2010
- Prosecutor scheduled to present recommendation on inspecting seized phone
Railway safety conditions under scrutiny
Dimitrios Oikou's father, Efthymios Oikou, who is himself a retired train driver, addressed the judges on railway working conditions and infrastructure standards. In his deposition, he characterized operational standards on the railway as third-world and devoid of essential safety mechanisms. He argued that the decline of the railway network was deliberate, pinpointing the start of this abandonment to workforce transfers that began in 2010. He also stated that in the aftermath of the crash, grieving families encountered a state apparatus that behaved like a wall rather than providing support.
Addressing the decline of railway safeguards, Efthymios Oikou stated his assessment of institutional accountability.
The railway was deliberately degraded. The abandonment began from 2010 with staff transfers. There was no safety valve.
Procedural rulings on station master phone
In addition to hearing eyewitness accounts, the court established the timetable for upcoming technical motions. At the start of the hearing, the court president announced that the prosecutor was ready to propose a decision regarding a motion filed by prosecution support counsel. The motion requests a formal judicial examination of the mobile phone seized from the night-shift station master on duty at the time of the crash. Rather than keeping attending witnesses waiting in the courtroom, the president ruled that the live depositions would take priority before the prosecutor submits her recommendation on the phone inspection.
