Pandora’s box has opened in Tempi, where 57 people lost their lives following a head-on collision between two trains.
Following the approval of the request by the family of hunger striker Panos Routsi to conduct toxicological tests on his son’s body to determine the cause of death, relatives of the victims have now put two German corporations in the spotlight.
The companies in question are Bayer and Siemens, against whom the relatives of 23-year-old Angelos Tilkeridis from Erinoupoli, Naousa, have filed a compensation lawsuit. According to the investigative authorities, it was silicone oils that were responsible for the fire and fireball that erupted after the collision of the two trains.
“Within the case file, based on evidence submitted by Hellenic Train, a specific batch of silicone oils from Bayer is mentioned, which Siemens had purchased and used in transformers,” stated Thomas Kalvourtzis, judicial officer at the Thessaloniki Court of Appeal, to Deutsche Welle. Since the authorities have concluded that the silicone oils caused the fire, the companies that manufactured and supplied them must be investigated accordingly.
Claim for €80 million compensation
The compensation requested by Angelos’ relatives amounts to €80 million, a sum considered reasonable under Article 16 of the European directive they cite. However, more important than the financial sum is the pursuit of justice, they emphasize. They want to finally uncover the truth behind why 27 people burned alive, despite having survived the initial collision. This is an unimaginable condition, both for the victims and their families.
As Mr. Kalvourtzis explains, the investigative authorities – after reviewing all relevant expert reports – officially informed them via e-mail on 1 August 2025 that the silicone oils were indeed responsible for the fire.
Previously, such assessments may have circulated in public discussion, but not in writing in an official manner that could be included in the case file. Subsequently, the families rushed to gather the evidence they had, along with additional material that emerged later, in order to submit the lawsuit.
Panos Routsi paved the way
On the evening of Tuesday, 7 October 2025, Panos Routsis ended his hunger strike, as his requests for toxicological and biochemical tests on his child’s body were accepted. This development opened the path for similar requests by all relatives of the Tempi tragedy victims to be approved.
Thus, as became known, apart from Routsi’s request, the Larissa Prosecutor’s Office proceeded to approve all requests for exhumations (from the Aslanidis family, Maria Karystianou, and the Konstantinidis family) and for toxicological examinations. The head of the Larissa Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance also informed the lawyers representing the victims’ families that anyone wishing to submit requests for exhumation and toxicological examinations, in addition to identification through genetic material, could now do so.
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