Urgent Investigation Launched into Videos Related to Tempi Train Collision

Authorities have intensified the investigation into the Tempi train disaster, following the emergence of crucial video footage.

On Monday, appellate-level examining magistrate Sotiris Baikamis ordered an urgent examination of three videos submitted to the ongoing inquiry. The footage, provided by the company responsible for railway surveillance on behalf of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), is considered “particularly important” in determining the circumstances surrounding the tragic collision.

Key Evidence Under Scrutiny

The videos, which were confiscated on February 5, are now under analysis by appointed experts—mechanical engineer Apostolos Vasilakis and electrical engineer Stavros Batzopoulos. Their primary task is to confirm that the freight train depicted in the footage was the one involved in the deadly head-on crash with a passenger train at Tempi on February 28, 2023.

Investigators are also seeking to verify claims made by litigants and their technical advisors regarding the train’s cargo. Specifically, they will assess whether the footage shows the presence of a tank or pallets carrying drums potentially containing flammable substances such as fuel, hydrocarbons, or solvents.

Magistrate’s Directive and Security Company’s Role

Given the gravity of the evidence, Magistrate Baikamis has requested an expedited report from the experts, emphasising the significance of the digital material in determining whether the train was illegally transporting hazardous materials at the time of the accident.

The footage, delivered on February 5 in digital form on a SanDisk USB, was handed over by Athens lawyer Vasileios Kapernaros on behalf of Inter Star Security Ltd., the company responsible for video surveillance along the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line. The experts must conclusively establish that the trains seen in the footage are those involved in the February 2023 disaster and present all relevant indications and evidence supporting this conclusion.

As investigations continue, the findings from the video analysis may prove critical in uncovering further details about one of Greece’s deadliest rail tragedies, potentially revealing whether regulatory violations contributed to the catastrophe.

Source: pagenews.gr