The investigation into Greece’s deadliest train crash, which killed 57 people in February 2023 near Tempi, has taken a dramatic turn, drawing comparisons to a legal thriller.
The tragedy sent shockwaves through Greek society and put intense pressure on both the government and the judicial system, as new evidence has now surfaced nearly two years after the disaster.
In a significant development, Greek police raided the offices of a private security company on Monday in two locations—Platamonas and Metamorfosi. This company, which provides surveillance services to Greece’s national railway operator (OSE), had recently submitted new video footage purportedly showing the freight train involved in the crash.
Law enforcement officers seized the company's video recording equipment, amid growing questions about the footage’s authenticity and why it was only now coming to light.
The security company recently turned over three videos allegedly depicting the freight train that collided head-on with a passenger train in Tempi. These videos are now under forensic examination to verify their authenticity. The judge overseeing the case has ordered an urgent investigation into their validity.
On February 5, a magistrate in Larissa—one of the cities closest to the crash site—took possession of the footage. Two technical experts, mechanical engineer Apostolos Vasilakos and electrical engineer Stavros Batzopoulos, have been assigned to analyze the videos. Their task is to determine whether the train shown in the footage is indeed the one involved in the deadly collision.
They have also been instructed to check whether the footage reveals the presence of a tank or pallet carrying hazardous liquid fuel or solvents—an allegation raised by certain parties involved in the case.
Following the delayed release of the footage, the magistrate ordered authorities to seize the security firm’s hard drives and recording devices. These contain surveillance footage of train movements, as part of the company's contract with OSE.
The sudden emergence of these videos nearly two years after the tragedy has fueled skepticism among the victims’ families, who have long been calling for transparency in the investigation.
«How can these videos appear now, after two years? Every day, something new comes up and disrupts our lives all over again», said Sotiris Mitskas, father of 23-year-old Iphigenia, who was among those killed in the crash.
Forensic expert Achilleas Michopoulos, who is working on behalf of the victims’ families, also raised concerns. Speaking on Greek television, he claimed that parts of the footage appeared to be missing and suggested the videos may have been tampered with.
Meanwhile, lawyer Vasilis Kapernaros, who represents the security company that provided the footage, defended its authenticity. «We found these videos in the past few weeks, on the company's initiative, and immediately handed them over to the investigating magistrate», he stated. Addressing concerns over possible manipulation, he added, «The footage is available to anyone who wants to examine it and determine whether it is real or doctored».
