Tempi Train Crash: Greek Police Confirm Authenticity of Freight Train Videos

A new development has emerged in the investigation of the tragic Tempi train collision, one of Greece’s deadliest rail disasters, which claimed 57 lives on February 28, 2023.

An expert report from the Hellenic Police (EL.AS) has confirmed that three videos depicting the freight train involved in the crash are authentic, shedding light on a key piece of evidence delivered to judicial authorities with a two-year delay.

The videos, submitted by the company INTERSTAR on February 5, 2025, capture the freight train shortly before its fatal collision with an Intercity passenger train in Tempi, central Greece. The disaster, which sparked nationwide outrage, raised significant questions about railway safety and what the freight train might have been carrying, especially given the massive explosion that followed the crash.

According to the forensic analysis conducted by EL.AS, the three videos are genuine and show no signs of suspicious cargo on the freight train. This finding is considered crucial for the ongoing investigation, as authorities and the public have long speculated about the cause of the explosion that intensified the tragedy.

The first video, recorded by Camera 03 between 23:00 and 23:05 on February 28, 2023, was retrieved from a specified recording device and uploaded via the IVMS management software. The analysis confirms it is an exact, unaltered copy. The second video, from Camera 04 at the KEK Rapsani site (serial number 526438191), covers the period from 23:08 to 23:42 and was similarly verified as authentic. The third video, recorded by Camera 05 at the same location between 23:12 and 23:46, also passed the authenticity test.

The confirmation of the videos’ legitimacy provides investigators with critical evidence as they work to unravel the circumstances of the collision. While the footage does not appear to show anything suspicious on the freight train, questions linger about the explosion and the broader failures that led to the disaster. For the Greek public watching closely, this development marks a significant step toward understanding one of the nation’s most devastating tragedies.