On February 28, 2023, one of the worst European railway accidents happened in Greece. It shook the entire nation. A passenger train with 346 passengers and 10 crew on board, was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, collided head on with a freight train that was coming from the opposite direction on the same track few minutes before midnight. This resulted in a huge explosion that killed many passengers and caused chemical burns to the skin, lungs and larynx of many passengers and rescue personnel.
Such injuries could not have resulted from the mere collision of two trains; they were due to the explosion and resulting fire that broke out because of illegal, flammable substances on the train. The fire burned for 5 hours. Of the 346 passengers, 57 died, 180 were injured and 109 were spared. Most of the passengers were university students.
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other Greek government officials immediately rushed to report that “the tragedy was primarily due to human error”! But no experts visited the site to determine the cause of the chemical burns, and determined the cause of death to be from the collision, without an autopsy of the dead, or an examination of the injured. The examining magistrate in the inquiry investigated the site of the collision nine months after it happened.
The authorities also ignored all international protocols for similar accidents, and in order to conceal the crucial evidence at the site of the train collision, they dumped human parts, remains and personal belongings of the victims of the train and then had the top layer of soil at the site dug up and discarded in an unknown location, and the entire area paved over. Within 3 days of the accident, the picture at the scene of the crime was completely altered, and it appeared as if the deadly accident had never happened. This was purposely done in order to conceal all evidence and prevent investigators from finding anything that would have brought the guilty parties and politicians to justice.
In contrast to the indifference and negligence of the Greek officials, the European Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) volunteered immediately to send experts to investigate the causes of the deadly collision, in conjunction with Greek investigators. However, the Greek Ministry of Transport refused the input of RAS to assist with qualified personnel. It is obvious that the minister feared that RAS would reveal the causes of the accident.
The European Commission has given Greece over 700,000 euros (760,000 U.S. dollars), from European taxpayers’ money, to modernize its railway network. An investigative report after the accident disclosed that there was complete absence of safety systems, unsuitable carriages, daily breakdowns and derailments, and the training program for railway workers was inadequate. It was determined that the 59-year old man who was working alone at the collision location on the night of the accident had no experience in the field, and had only been on the job 35 days. Railway employees had raised their concerns to the government about the safety of the trains; even two weeks before the deadly crash, a union letter calling for better safety and conditions had been sent to the government. One wonders where the European Commission money went. Corruption at its highest level!
It is shameful that the European Commission has given so much financial assistance to Greece to modernize its railway infrastructure, while the Greek government claims the legal power to deny RAS from investigating the fatal railway crime of February 28, 2023.
Kostas A. Karamanlis of the Karamanlis clan was Minister of Infrastructure and Transport in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the time of the accident. Ironically, a week before the horrific train accident, Karamanlis praised the excellent operation of the trains and was offended when asked about their safety. He misled the public, urging them to use the railway, knowing full well that the state of the railway system was archaic. After the accident, he resigned, but took no responsibility and said he owed no apology or explanation to the victims’ families. He also declared that he was entitled to retain his parliamentary immunity, and indeed he kept it, even though the law dictates that if there is suspicion of ministerial misconduct, immunity must be waived and the person must undergo a special court proceeding. Ironically, he was allowed to run for election again and was reelected. His behavior indicates that he only cares about power and has no remorse or conscience.
The citizens of Greece are very angry about the government’s claims as to the money it had spent to upgrade the railway system. They have read the experts’ report that revealed the complete absence of safety in the Greek railway system. The Greek people feel trapped in a system that is characterized by egregious corruption and deception. The problem is that the government controls the judiciary system and the mass media and has managed to delude the public into believing that the railway system is safe.
According to Maria Karystianou, a mother who lost her 19 year old daughter in the accident, some parents of the victims had met the Supreme Court Prosecutor in the case, Georgia Adeilini, after the crash, and had protested about the lack of safety and justice. Ms Adeilini advised them not to dwell on the event, but to come to peace with it, with the help of the church. This is unbelievable and inhuman! She still holds her position as Supreme Court Prosecutor. In a democratic society, a crime is tried in court. This crime was not, because politicians were involved. It was tried in parliament and the outcome was obvious. No one was found guilty and the accident was attributed to human error!
It seems that the Supreme Court Prosecutor was afraid to prosecute and sentence those responsible for the horrific crime because the culprits belong to the category of people who are untouchable. In other words, Greece has a judicial justice system similar to that of Ancient Rome. The people are divided into the Patricians (the ruling class) and the Plebeians (ordinary citizens), and only the Patricians can make and uphold the law.
Without reservation, one can say that the crime in Tempe is the result of years of financial dishonesty, corruption and a multitude of government actions to distort and conceal incriminating evidence.
On February 14, 2024, Maria Karystianou, the mother who lost her 19 year old daughter in the Tempe tragedy, addressed the European Parliament (watch the video in English), seeking justice, because one whole year after the accident on February 28, 2023, nothing has been done to prosecute those responsible for the Tempe crime.
PM Mitsotakis, however, proclaimed on the anniversary of the tragedy that “all responsible will be held accountable and the guilty will be punished”. His lies and hypocrisy are not only shameful but disgusting!
According to the latest report by an international transparency committee, Greece is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. The country is plagued by poverty, crime, corruption, tax evasion, lack of transparency, incompetence, disorganization, lack of accountability, indifference, bribery, nepotism and lack of meritocracy. Therefore it is only to be expected that it placed second to last among the 27 countries in the Eurozone in 2023 based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita.
One can only wonder why the European Union keeps Greece as a member, since it has nothing in common with the other members, especially the North European countries.
Christos P. Tsonis 