Tempi trial: “Everything had been scrubbed clean” – Vangelis Vlachos’ testimony

Vangelis Vlachos, brother of Vaios Vlachos, one of the 57 victims, described the Tempi train disaster as a “foreordained crime”.

Mr Vlachos began his testimony today at the trial over the Tempi train disaster by first speaking about his brother’s life before the crash. He stressed that his brother was happy in his work and devoted time to the issue of infrastructure safety.

“We were arranging to all go on holiday together in the summer of 2023. In the end, the only thing we saw was a closed white coffin. We were looking for all the answers in the case file and I dare say that we are finding them,” Mr Vlachos testified, adding that the last time he himself travelled by train was in July 2019.

“It was on one of the last services when there was still a rudimentary safety system. The remote-control system at Zachari burned down and after that there was no signalling,” he testified, adding: “OSE has shown us enormous disrespect.”

He referred to the problems at Palaiofarsalos station a few hours before the collision and to the footage from the station’s cameras in which his brother is seen.

“This incident, which is captured in the last images of my brother, was not something that happened only then. It was the unsafe reality that OSE and Hellenic Train had allowed since 2019. This situation shows that it was an ongoing crime, a foreordained crime.”

He then referred to the material in the case file: “There are people who have access to the case file and engage in the trading of pain and horror. They cause us even more pain. I hope someone puts an end to this.”

He also referred to the moment when his father informed him about the collision at Tempi and to his own desperate effort to find out any information about his brother.

Regarding the issue of the backfilling of the site, he said: “Finding out what happened in the first hours became an end in itself. For us, the issue of the cover-up was a very crucial part.”

He described how he arrived at the site a few days after the collision and saw an area that no longer resembled a crash site at all, as well as the orders that officials were allegedly given so that the area would be made “spotless”.

“When we arrived at the site, everything had been made spotless,” he said.

He then referred to railway safety issues, initially stressing that “we saw that all these factors that led to my brother’s death had existed throughout all those years”, and referred to letters by a former OSE president and a TRAINOSE executive.

“They knew about all this. They had been informed by people in key positions, people who knew the Greek railway system, but whoever issued warnings would then resign. The fact that they knew is crucial,” he stressed.

Mr Vlachos then pointed to everything the railway bodies did to correct the omissions for which the defendants were referred to trial, stressing that “for me, this is a tacit admission. They are doing all the things they were accused of not having done.”

“The fireball and the remote-control system are where we have seen the greatest misinformation”

He also said: “We saw enormous misinformation afterwards. The biggest lie in this case is the local remote-control system,” stressing that, regarding Hellenic Train, he would have expected something more.

“I believe there are indications of something more serious,” he said, pointing to the pressure that existed on train drivers to operate trains at high speeds.

He then referred to the issue of the fire, noting that his brother was one of the victims who were charred.

“The issue of his death, the fire and the fireball was something that concerned us from the very first moment. Along with the remote-control system, it was one of the issues about which we have seen the greatest misinformation,” he testified.

He added that, based on the evidence in the case file, he has been convinced by the official version concerning the mechanism that caused the fireball, namely the atomisation of the transformers’ silicone oils combined with the electric arc.

He referred to the Fire Service’s inspection, the expert reports by the court-appointed experts, Karonis, the Paspalas report, the report by the Swedish institute RISE, as well as reports by technical advisers to the families, such as Tasos Dedes and Paul Jowett.

“For me, this gives me the answers I need,” he stressed, adding that the issue of fire safety is important and should be investigated as a whole.

Concluding, he testified that he has a twofold objective: “For justice to be served and for railway safety to change.”

He stressed that he has confidence in the justice system and referred to the inscription on his brother’s grave in Karditsa.

“Hasta la justicia siempre. That is, until justice is served, we will keep fighting. I hope I can return to my brother’s grave and that my heart will no longer ache. I do not want any innocent person to be convicted. I want all those who are guilty to be convicted. The only thing I hope is that we have contributed, even a little, to your difficult task,” he stressed as he concluded his testimony.

In response to questions from his lawyer, Nikos Damaskopoulos, he said that, in his view, what the court should examine is whether there are issues of disruption involving Hellenic Train and the issue of fire safety.

“In my view, the trains and the infrastructure should be examined, as well as whether they meet the fire-safety requirements provided for by modern standards.”

He also referred to the issue of the absence of the large quantity of silicon dioxide that should have been present at the site after the ignition, according to those who reject the silicone-oil explanation, pointing out that much less had burned than they estimate and that, because of the uplift caused by the fireball, the nanoparticles do not settle but are dispersed.

“By the same argument, we should have found 2.5 tonnes of soot,” he stressed.

In response to a question from Leonidas Koumbouras, lawyer for the Massalis family, one of the freight train drivers, he confirmed the audio recordings and the testimony of the Platy stationmaster regarding the conversation he had with the freight-train driver about the cargo and the clarification that the train was not empty but was carrying sheet metal.

Asked about the HARSIA report and the section concerning the backfilling of the site, he said: “The part of the report that bothers me is that the people involved were described as mere observers and as having given no order. I consider that a very serious insult.”

He also stressed that other expert reports had not been taken into account by HARSIA.

The trial continues with testimony from relatives of the victims and surviving passengers.