BACKGROUND: From a previous post of this Blog:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Maria Karistianou, whose 20-year-old daughter died in the crash, addressed the crowd saying: “We are here and we will not stop … until those responsible are held accountable.”Families of the victims, as well as the opposition, have accused authorities of attempting to cover up the crash."
PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Shortly after the collision, the site was rapidly cleared and paved over, a move that many said they believed hindered thorough forensic investigations. That action potentially led to the loss of critical evidence, experts have said, including personal belongings and the remains of some victims. Families have voiced concerns that not all their loved ones were recovered due to the expedited site clearance. Allegations have also included alleged tampering with audio recordings between the station master and freight train driver designed to shift blame solely on to human error, thereby neglecting potential systemic issues and responsibilities."
PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "What is more, key surveillance footage from Thessaloniki’s Commercial Station, where the freight train was loaded before the accident, has gone missing. This footage, it has been said, could have provided insights into the cargo’s nature and loading procedures. The absence of this evidence has raised suspicions of deliberate tampering. In response, the Supreme Court Prosecutor initiated an urgent investigation to determine the reasons behind the missing footage."
PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "Adding to the controversy, the 39-year-old son of the prosecutor overseeing the Tempi case, Vasilis Kalogirou, went missing on December 30, 2024. Despite extensive search efforts, no significant leads have emerged, leading to public speculation about potential connections between his disappearance and the ongoing investigation. These developments have intensified public scrutiny and demands for accountability, with many citizens expressing deep mistrust in the authorities’ handling of the investigation. Many said they believed that the alleged deadly illegal cargo belonged to an oligarch that the government was trying to protect."
https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/5146786155178924376
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STORY: "Expert report on Tempe rail crash points to possible presence of ‘unknown’ flammable substance," published by Newsroom' on February 27, 2025. (Link to entire English language report below - reaction to follow on up-cominng posts. HL);
A much-anticipated expert report by Greece’s National Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Organization (EODASAAM) into the 2023 Tempe train disaster just a day before its two-year anniversary, confirmed concerns that an “unknown” substance may have contributed to a massive explosion and the loss of life when two trains smashed into each other in central Greece, killing 57 passengers and crew.
“Based on the observations that could be made, there is no indication that the technical equipment of the rolling stock that was used, gave rise to the formation and expansion of the enormous fireball that arose after the impact, and subsequently resulted in the secondary fires. With the existing evidence [it] is impossible to determine what exactly caused it, but simulations and expert reports indicate the possible presence of a hitherto unknown fuel,” said the report by EODASAAM, which was presented by lead investigator Kostas Kapetanidis at a press conference in Athens on Thursday morning.
The 178-page report, which was published in English, also confirmed concerns that interventions made to the scene of the accident compromised the discovery of vital information and hampered investigations into the crash, which involved a freight train traveling south from Thessaloniki to Athens plowing head-on into a passenger train coming in the opposite direction.
More specifically, hardcore which was laid down over the debris may have extinguished traces of liquids and materials that contributed to the blast, which is believed to have cost the lives of between five and seven of the 57 victims, with the rest being killed by the impact of the two trains.
The cargo being transported by the freight train has been the subject of much speculation and multiple investigations after trace amounts of xylene and benzene were detected at the scene of the accident.
EODASAAM also paints a scathing picture of chaos in the aftermath of the accident.
“There was no actual coordination, whether at operational or strategical level, of the different services at the scene of the collision. Each service continued to operate under its own orders, initiatives, and personnel without any interaction at the organizational level. One particular result of this is the fact that no proper mapping of the accident investigation site was performed,” the report said.
On the cause of the collision itself, the report said that the sequence of events which led to an undertrained stationmaster at the understaffed Larissa station accidentally routing passenger train IC-62 onto the same track as freight train 63503 on the same track when they were traveling in opposite directions on the night of February 28, 2023, “was highly affected by a general lack of strict application of the prescribed structured communication methodology.”
“Furthermore, the methodology prescribed by the Greek rules is outdated compared to more recent international standards,” it said, adding that the way the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) “manages the competence of its station masters does not guarantee that they are competent in the safety-related tasks for which they are responsible, under all conditions.
The full report is available here.
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1262793/expert-report-on-tempe-rail-crash-points-to-possible-presence-of-unknown-flammable-substance/PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
