The Greek Parliament convenes in a special session on Wednesday to debate three separate proposals regarding the investigation into the February 28, 2023, Tempi rail disaster that killed 57 people, mostly students.
The first proposal, from the ruling New Democracy party, targets only former transport minister Kostas A. Karamanlis. The second, from the main opposition party PASOK, names eight political figures.
A third proposal – submitted by citizens, including victim’s relative Maria Karystianou, and supported by smaller parties and independent lawmakers aligned with Movement for Democracy leader Stefanos Kasselakis – targets 11 political figures, including current Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and brings up charges of high treason.
This unprecedented vote will require 14 separate ballot boxes in the parliamentary hall – more than the 10 used during the Novartis scandal investigation.
Maria Karystianou, the president of the Tempi Victims Association, has filed a report with police after receiving threats allegedly targeting both her and her son.
Last week, Karystianou, accompanied by a lawyer, visited the police and testified that a couple had warned her of specific threats.
According to her statement, the couple said they had been approached by a retired police officer who allegedly told them that Karystianou was “going too far” with her criticisms of Prime Minister Mitsotakis over his role in the Tempi railway disaster. “She and her son are in danger – he might even have an accident while on vacation,” the officer reportedly warned.
Karystianou has declined to reveal the identities of either the couple or the police officer involved.
The Tempi disaster continues to reverberate through the Greek political landscape, fueled by persistent accusations of a government cover-up. The tragedy sparked widespread public outrage, leading to some of the largest demonstrations seen in Greece in years.
In February and early March of this year, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets of Athens and other major cities, demanding justice for the victims and accountability from the state.
The intensity of public anger put significant pressure on the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who subsequently survived a no-confidence vote in parliament, a testament to the political storm the disaster unleashed. Despite retaining power, the public outcry forced the Prime Minister to undertake a significant cabinet reshuffle, signaling the severity of the political fallout.
The disaster’s aftermath has been characterized by intense public debate, often amplified by social media, about the precise causes of the accident and the devastating fire that ensued. Early theories, widely circulated online and embraced by several opposition lawmakers, suggested the massive fireball and explosion following the collision of the two trains was caused by an unknown, highly flammable substance, implying deliberate negligence or even foul play.
However, a recently published expert report, commissioned as part of the ongoing investigation, has cast significant doubt on these earlier, more speculative theories.
The report’s findings conclude that the explosion and subsequent fire were, in all likelihood, the result of engine oils—particularly silicone oils—igniting upon impact.
This scientific conclusion challenges the widely disseminated narrative of an “unknown flammable substance,” potentially redirecting the focus of the investigation and public discourse towards issues of maintenance protocols, material safety, and operational standards rather than a more conspiratorial angle.
