In a state of shock, society watches the scenes of chaos at the site of the collision of the two trains, in Tempe, sympathizing with the unspeakable pain of the families who lost their loved ones and with the immense anguish of those who are still looking for them.

The search and rescue operation is expected to be completed by noon. According to the latest official information, the confirmed dead are 57, while 56 passengers have been reported missing to the police.

As for the injured, 48 passengers remain hospitalized, six of them in ICU.

At the same time, the efforts to identify the bodies that have been located and recovered from the wreckage continue at an intensive pace, while the families have already been informed.

According to information from SKAI, 32 bodies have been identified so far, while there are also seven orphan dna, i.e. samples that have not been identified.

In the meantime, authorities are examining the possibility that gas bottles found in a carriage of the fatal train in Tempe were responsible for the explosion on the train, taking into account the visual material immediately after the collision.

Specifically, it is being examined whether the two bottles found were used in the restaurant of the passenger train and whether there were others.

How we avoided a collision between two passenger trains

A 20-minute delay probably avoided a collision between two passenger trains at Tempe.

According statements to SKAI by Michalis Bagiotis, train driver of the suburban trainhis route was delayed, causing him to fall behind the commercial train, which collided head-on with the Intercity.

He, however, emphasized that there is also the possibility that, if this delay had not occurred, the fatal accident would not have even occurred. There were 50-55 people on the train he was driving.

The “whys” of the tragedy

How the fatal train came to collide with the commercial train; The Intercity departed at 19:22 from Athens. After 28 minutes, at 19:50, the commercial from Thessaloniki starts.

A first Intercity stop, which is not scheduled, is in Paleofarsala. The train is stopped for 48 minutes because there is a cable fault. The train arrives in Larissa at 22:52. There, 81 passengers disembarked and an unknown number boarded, as the tickets, in Larissa, were purchased at the ticket office and not digitally.

At the same time, another train breaks down and has to be withdrawn from the network. Then, the keys are changed and the train enters the “opposite” flow.

The Intercity departs from Larissa at 23:10, joining the tracks to Athens. For 12 minutes, for 18 kilometers, it moves in the “opposite” line. It develops speed, reaching 166 kilometers per hour, when, at 23:22, the collision takes place resulting in dozens of dead and injured.

The day after the collision of the two trains at Tempe leaves open chapters. Many “whys”. The tragedy with dozens of dead highlighted the “diseases” of the system, regardless of human error. Why should the projects for the security system be delayed for so many years? Why should every illegal be allowed to loot networks, cables, components? Why not have a system to correct any human error?

According to information, which was broadcast by the Star, the station master was allegedly notified 17 minutes earlier, by the station master of New Resources, about the course of the commercial train.

The interview of his management consultant OSE Panagiotis Terezakis at SKAI it illuminated many aspects, but also raised many questions. Lots of “whys”.

As he pointed out, “until 2010, 2011, 2012 there was remote control in OSE from Kiato to the airport and from Athens to Thessaloniki and Promachona. Gradually, from 2010 onwards, the system crashed due to various reasons and did not recover.

There have been staff reductions, and we are also suffering greatly from cable theft. At first glance, we can say that when remote control goes down, so does security.

But again, even without them, there are protocols that if followed there is no question of leading to such tragic accidents.

Larissa has a local signaling control panel. This means that at some distance before the station and at some distance after the station, we have light signals etc. that show the presence of the train.

Why the stationmaster was unable to follow the train throughout its journey is a matter being investigated by the investigator and experts.

For 5.5km after leaving Larissa, he could have seen that he put the train on the wrong track and stopped it.

By the time he went to Larissa, he had spent a year training, but had no other experience as a station master. He was in Larissa for about a month and for a while he was with another station master on the shift.

The train driver must listen to what the stationmaster tells him. He could ask for an additional clarification but it is not the driver’s obligation. This is not in the protocol.

The conversation is open and the station master in Litochoro was also listening to them. But it was not said in the conversation that it goes in reverse, in a downward line. Also there was no telegram that there is traffic on a single line due to works”

The station master apologizes on Saturday – What did his lawyer say?

The station master accused of being responsible for the national tragedy in Tempi requested and received a deadline to apologize on Saturday from the Larissa investigator. Criminal charges were brought against the 59-year-old station master for disturbing traffic safety, manslaughter and negligent bodily harm. The station master remained for 10 minutes in front of the prosecutor at noon on Thursday and after the accusations were announced, he was given a deadline to apologize to the investigator next Saturday, until then he will remain in custody.

Earlier, the 59-year-old station master had crossed the threshold of the courthouse and reportedly admitted the fatal mistake of the key not turning in the right position that sent Inter City train 62, which was carrying mainly students, on a collision course with a commercial train.

According to his lawyer, the station master accepted his share of responsibility. “On a human level, he’s devastated. He reflects on what happened and cannot bear the burden of responsibility. But what counts is to search not the tree but the forest of blame. There is a forest of responsibilities here,” said the station master’s advocate.

New order for in-depth investigations by the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court

An in-depth investigation in every direction, immediate gathering of all evidence and rapid completion of the investigative work for the unspeakable tragedy in Tempi, the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Isidoros Dogiakos orders to the head of the Appeals Prosecutor’s Office of Larisa, stressing in his document that now “It is the time of Justice”, in order to identify the culprits, “whoever they are, wherever they belong, wherever they come from, whatever they represent”.

The entire new order of Mr. Dogiakos:

With unspeakable sadness and mental anguish, the entire Greek people are watching and truly experiencing the event and the tragic consequences of the train accident of 2-28-2023, in the area of ​​Tempe.

Fate showed its worst side to each individual and to all the passengers of the fatal train.

Pain much – Sorrow unspeakable – Families orphaned – Dreams of young people definitively unfulfilled.

The intense emotion and agitation caused by this unexpected event in all the citizens of the country, without exception, force the mobilization, immediately and effectively, of the state apparatus at all levels.

Primarily, however, at this moment is the time of Justice, which, in all its scope, must impose its presence sovereignly and without hesitation intervene crucially, substantially and effectively during the first procedural stage of the collection of evidence, which in the future they will serve to assign responsibility to the guilty, whoever they are, wherever they belong, wherever they come from, whatever they represent.

Your personal and active presence at the site of the unjust loss of so many human lives to gather the evidence that will shed light on the causes of the tragedy is certainly and absolutely necessary. These elements must be examined competently, thoroughly and thoroughly.

But even if, in principle, they lead to the attribution of responsibilities in a specific direction, the judicial judgment should not be trapped in the criminal responsibilities of specific and limited individuals only. On the contrary, a full investigation of the case is required from all sides and the attribution of responsibilities in all directions, in accordance with the substantive criminal provisions and the applicable procedural order.

It is macabre to say, but sometimes it is true that an unpleasant event like death can be the occasion for something good to be born. In the recent past, the Greek Justice received strong criticism in another tragedy that also shook the country and we mourned hundreds of victims.

Therefore, the highest supervision on your part of the investigative work, in accordance with article 32 section a’ of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which we assigned to you with the no. prot. 1706/1-3-2023 our document-order, is of great importance and aims at the full and speedy gathering of the necessary evidence and the fastest possible completion of the investigative work.

We consider it self-evident that you will expend all your mental and physical strength, so that the already started investigative process, the institutional framework of which you will sovereignly choose, according to the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and in accordance with the needs of the investigation of the essence of the case, will be completed as soon as possible, certainly under a regime of sobriety, composure and discretion, ignoring whispers and shouts, from wherever they come, whoever they serve.

The right and speedy administration of justice will be an eternal memorial for the souls of the dead.