On Wednesday, 28 February 2024, the day that marks one year since the fatal accident in Tempi, which claimed the lives of 57 people, following the decision of Metropolitan Ieronymos of Larissa and Tyrnavos, the Offices of the Holy Metropolis will remain closed, as a sign of honour towards the victims, our fallen fellow human beings, the dead of the unspeakable railway tragedy.
Also, on the same day and around 10:00, all the Parishes of the Metropolis will ring 57 mourning bells, as a sign of honour and respect for the memory of the victims of the accident.
What happened in Tempi
It is recalled that on February 28, 2023, a tragic head-on collision occurred between two trains south of the Tempi Valley in Greece. The collision involved the InterCity 62 (IC62) passenger train and an intermodal freight train, resulting in the loss of at least 57 lives, among an official count of 342 passengers. Several factors contributed to the accident, including the failure to implement the European Train Control System (ETCS) as originally scheduled for 2020, with its deployment delayed until late 2023. Additionally, in 2019, telematics in Larissa ceased functioning due to a summer wildfire and remained unresolved. This collision marked a tragic culmination following a series of other rail incidents that fortunately had no casualties.
