Nearly two years after the deadly train collision in Tempe in central Greece, three new videos have been submitted to the appellate investigator in Larissa.
According to Interstar Security, which is responsible for the security and video surveillance of the railway network, these videos depict freight train 63503 inside tunnels just minutes before its head-on collision with the intercity passenger train on the night of February 28, 2023. The company claims to have independently retrieved this footage.
The investigator may now request the Hellenic Police’s Criminal Investigation Department to verify the authenticity of these videos.
Attorney Vasilis Kapernaros, representing Interstar Security, presented the visual material to the investigator. He stated that the freight train’s journey was captured by camera 3 at the southern entrance of the Platamonas tunnel at 11.03.05 p.m., by camera 5 at the northern entrance of the Tempe tunnel at 11.13.52 p.m., and by camera 4 at the Tempe tunnel’s emergency exit. In a radio interview, Kapernaros mentioned, “I saw metal sheets; nothing is visible.”
A forensic expert representing the victims’ families withheld comment pending verification of the material. In July 2023, the investigator sought videos depicting the loading process and journey of the freight train to determine if it was transporting illegal, undeclared cargo.
However, this process began months later, resulting in the deletion of relevant files from recording devices, necessitating recovery efforts. The recent submission of these videos marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation.
