The Greek government has denied this possibility for nearly two years, but a new investigation has cast doubt on the official narrative. The crash, which killed 57 people, remains one of the country’s deadliest railway disasters.
The National Organization for the Investigation of Aviation and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety (EODASAM) has concluded that the fire was not caused by silicone oils or any of the train’s onboard technical equipment, as initially claimed. Instead, investigators estimate that at least 2.5 tons of a volatile, flammable liquid fueled the explosion.
EODASAM’s Railway Sector head, Christos Papadimitriou, stated in a press conference on Thursday that this mystery substance does not match anything officially transported on the train. Due to the destruction of crucial evidence at the crash site, its exact origin remains uncertain. However, computer simulations suggest that within four seconds, approximately 1,200 kg of fuel was released, causing a fireball that expanded up to 80 meters in diameter. These findings eliminate the possibility that the fire was sustained by the train’s silicone oils or any other known onboard materials.
A key discovery in the investigation was the presence of xylene, a hydrocarbon compound, in soil samples collected at the crash site. Eight months later, when new samples were taken, no traces of xylene remained, suggesting that it was not a naturally occurring contaminant but rather linked directly to the explosion. This finding raises new questions about what was really being transported on the train.
Investigators heavily criticized the response to the crash, highlighting that failures in securing the scene led to the loss of crucial evidence. The report also points to years of neglect in Greece’s railway infrastructure. A long-overdue safety upgrade, known as Contract 717, was meant to modernize the system and should have been completed in 2016, but it faced repeated delays. Papadimitriou accused top officials of inaction, stating these delays played a “decisive role” in the disaster.The findings will now be submitted to judicial authorities as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the tragedy.
The latest revelations are igniting a wave of public fury, set to drive thousands of demonstrators into the streets across Greece today (Friday). As outrage intensifies over what many see as a cover-up of the Tempi train disaster, protests are expected to bring central squares in major cities—including Athens and Thessaloniki—to a standstill.
