Parents of Cypriot Tempi victim seek truth about freight train cargo
The parents of Cypriot student Kyrianos Papaioannou testified at the trial into the Tempi tragedy, seeking clarification on what the freight train was carrying.
Tempi trial: Cypriot parents seek clarification on freight train cargo
According to Cyprus Mail, the parents of Cypriot student Kyrianos Papaioannou testified on Tuesday before the court hearing the case of the train collision at Tempi in 2023.
The tragedy occurred on 28 February 2023 near Tempi in central Greece, when a passenger train full of students collided with a freight train, resulting in the deaths of approximately 57 people. Among the deceased were two Cypriots: Kyrianos Papaioannou, 23, a law student at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Anastasia Adamidou, 24, from Paphos.
The trial began on 23 March at the Court of Appeal in Larissa, with 36 defendants and over 350 witnesses, and is expected to last up to three years.
Mother and father testify
Georgía Papaioannou testified on the 40th day of the trial. She reported that her son's body was handed to her "naked" inside a zip-lock bag with no respectful treatment, and that she dressed him herself "like a corpse" rather than as a bridegroom — since Kyrianos was to have married that same August.
His father, priest Christódoulos Papaioannou, testified that his son had preferred the train over a plane to save money for his wedding. When he opened the coffin, he found burns on the body and a chemical smell that required repeated washing with wine to remove. He asked the court to establish what exactly the freight train was carrying.
Disputed cargo
The question of what the train was carrying remains unanswered. Greek authorities initially attributed the tragedy to human error, saying silicon cooling oil fuelled the fire. In 2025, the national accident investigation body concluded that the officially declared cargo could not explain the scale of the fire.
An expert appointed by the court reported that silicon oil could decompose into flammable gases, whilst finding no evidence of other cargo. However, a technical adviser to the families of victims, citing a state laboratory, argued that the train was carrying hydrocarbons such as benzene and xylene — something Hellenic Train denied. Xylene and similar solvents are used to adulterate fuels.
Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis retracted in 2025 his previous denial and admitted that suspicious cargo is indeed plausible.
Source: Cyprus Mail