Parents of Cypriot victim at Tempi trial question burns and chemical smell

Parents testify at the Tempi trial

On Tuesday, 13 October 2026, the parents of a 23-year-old Cypriot law student gave evidence at the trial over the Tempi railway disaster before a three-member Criminal Court of Appeal. The student had studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and his family described him as devoted to his faith, to Greece and to his fiancée. His mother testified first, describing the loss of her son and the dreams he had for the future. She said he often spoke to her about Greece and its struggles, and that she never imagined the country would take him in such a tragic way. She also told the court that interventions at the crash site had removed important evidence that could have helped the investigation.

The father's account of the body

The victim's father, Christodoulos Papaioannou, a priest from Cyprus, held photographs of his son as he testified. He said he travelled to Larissa to collect the body and opened the coffin, although the family had been told not to, and saw that the body was intact but had strange burns and a smell of chemicals. He described the body as found in a black bag, naked and battered, and said an autopsy had been carried out without anyone asking the family. After the body was taken to Cyprus, the family washed the wounds and washed the body many times with wine to remove the smell, which he compared to that of dry cleaners. He said the burns looked like those suffered by firefighters, and that the family was certain death came after the impact. He also said he believed his son had initially survived the collision and died from another cause.

Questions about the fireball

The father asked the court to explain what the freight train was carrying and what caused the fireball. He argued that silicone oils, which he said did not account for the smell or the intensity of the explosion, could not explain what happened. He said a wallet found in the burned jacket had been sent for analysis and showed various chemical substances, including xylene and toluene. He asked the court to answer these questions and to punish each defendant according to what he is responsible for.

Wedding plans and the day of the crash

The student's wedding had been scheduled for 27 August 2023. In the Carnival weekend before the accident, he went with his fiancée to collect the wedding crowns. His father said he had initially given him money for a flight to Thessaloniki, but his son decided to return by train to save money ahead of the wedding. While the father was fitting the wedding crown on the fiancée, she said she was worried because her fiancé was not answering her messages. The father then turned on the television and saw a huge fireball from the collision, and asked whether it was a missile.