Scenarios passionately supported by a portion of technical advisers to families of victims of the Tempi tragedy about the existence of illegal, flammable cargo on the fatal freight train on the night of February 28, 2023 have been shattered: Two findings by NTUA professors – Dimitris Karoni and Petros Tsakiridis – filed on Tuesday with the appellate investigator Sotiris Bakaimi lead to the conclusion that the pyrosphere created immediately after the collision of the two trains was caused by the transformers’ silicone oils.

In particular, Professor Tsakiridis’ report refutes the scenario presented in the EODASAM’s conclusion, which “showed” the empty, second locomotive of the commercial train as the place where the illegal load was placed, since it found no traces of fire, but only deformations due to the collision of the trains

The first expert opinion of the National Technical University of Athens – commissioned by the appellate investigator to Professor Dimitris Karoni – concludes that the engine oils (silicone oils) under the circumstances of the accident could create a pyrosphere as it is judged by the expert that this oil can ignite under temperatures of 330 degrees and above.

Karoni’s expert opinion – for which technical consultants such as Kostas Lakafosis had implied that he would not join the silicone oil scenario – is based on analyses and data from the State General Chemistry Department, autopsies, and material taken from the accident site, international scientific data, comparisons, and evaluations.

It should be noted that expert opinions with a similar conclusion, albeit with a different methodology, exist in the case file from technical consultants of victims’ relatives and the Fire Brigade, as well as opposing ones. All of them will be evaluated by the court and, of course, by the appellate investigator.

Διαβάστε ΕΔΩ την πραγματογνωμοσύνη του Δημήτρη Καρώνη του ΕΜΠ

Tsakiridis Prize: The locomotive of the commercial train did not burn

The professor of the School of Metallurgists – Metallurgists of the Polytechnic Petros Tsakiridis, delivered to the appellate investigator his expert opinion and according to his conclusion from the autopsy in the area of Koulouri, conducted by the competent department (DAF) of the Fire Service, the expert professor concludes that the pieces of the cockpit and the electric locomotive frames examined and from all the samples taken, lead to the conclusion that they are not burnt, i.e. they do not indicate an explosion or fire, but only bear deformations from impacts caused by the collision of the trains.

As is known, the EODASAM said in its finding that it had found only scant traces of the second electric train’s second electric tank in the Koulouri area, where the wagons of the trains that collided in Tempe are kept which led its officials to place the tank with the illegal, flammable cargo in the area behind the drivers’ seats, provoking the anger of the mother of the victim Dimitris Massalis, who had asked the investigating judge for an investigation by the Fire Brigade’s Arson Investigation Department, whose officers not only found, but also assembled the locomotive, which is now found not to have burned!

Διαβάστε ΕΔΩ το πρώτο μέρος και ΕΔΩ το δεύτερο μέρος από την πραγματογνωμοσύνη του κ. Τσακιρίδη.

The reactions of relatives and parties

As expected, the findings provoked a variety of reactions, with the most intense that of Maria Karystianou, who, through X, used heavy characterizations for Professor Karoni, even publishing a photo of him. For its part, SYRIZA chose to highlight a sentence from the conclusion that silicone oils cannot cause a pyrosphere, omitting that the conclusion states that this applies ‘under normal conditions’ and not when there is a collision between two trains. For her part, Zoe Konstantopoulou said that Professor Karonis “must explain.” Kostis Hatzidakis: Alleged experts and the opposition cover up the truth

The deputy prime minister said that the bazaar theory was coming into conflict with common sense from the beginning, as there was no answer to the question of why there should be a bazaar only on one side of the line and not on the other in relation to the diffusion of the notorious xylene. But now even more so, he added, “we have, the videos, certified by the ELAS to be authentic, showing that there was no such load and the Polytechnic’s conclusion that the explosion was related to the silicone oils. If we are talking about a cover-up, it is a cover-up of the truth on the part of irrelevant so-called experts and opposition parties.”

Pavlos Marinakis: The opposition’s narrative collapses with a bang

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“There is an official as to the expert opinion, with evidence, an end to the most vulgar attempt to manipulate public opinion” was the first comment of government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis on the conclusion of NTUA professor Karoni.

Speaking about the opposition parties, he referred to them opposition parties as “vulgar propagators of lies”. “They used this accident, which has very serious causes, to build a narrative to make people angry. They deliberately lied to the people to shift the discussion from the mistakes of the people and the state, they slandered us. We received threats, shows were turned from humorous to courtroom humour without anything being proven,” he added.

Methodologies are infuriating, Karonis must explain, says Zoe Konstantopoulou

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What is being published today as Professor Karonis’ findings are in direct contradiction with the experiments he has conducted and he should explain himself, said, from Thessaloniki, the leader of Eleftherias EleftheriasZoe Konstantopoulou, in response to a question on the findings of the findings of the NTUA and in particular of Professor Dimitris Karoni of the Laboratory of Fuel and Lubricants Technology of the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, on the issue of the pyrospheric induction after the collision of the two trains in the Tempi railway accident.

“I am really surprised that the government thinks that society does not realize that methodologies are rampant, pressure is rampant, blackmail and methods of takeover are rampant. I think that Mr. Karonis should give several explanations, because what is published today as his findings are in direct contradiction with the experiments he has conducted, with the occasional findings around the experiments he has conducted and of course with science,” said Mrs. Konstantopoulou and added.

“I am alarmed that it took a scientist 14 months to submit a finding that should have been submitted a year ago, I am alarmed by the public pressure for the tampering of evidence and of course those who work to tamper with evidence around felonies will know that this tampering of evidence constitutes a crime in itself.”

Konstantopoulou underlined her party’s stance regarding the accident at Tempe, stressing her solidarity with the families of the victims. “My position and attitude is unwavering. I am on the side of the families, who alone are fighting for the truth, against a system that is fighting them. I am on the side of the citizens who are demanding truth and justice and who know very well that it takes a lot of struggle to bring justice. I am on the side of justice, and I know very well that we will win that fight.”

SYRIZA speaks of a lack of evidence and a “blunder”

The Syriza party accused the government of using Professor Karoni’s conclusion on the tragedy of Tempi and its instrumentalization, noting that the expert opinion has no definitive answer on the causes of the pyrosphere.

“From the conclusion, it is again clear that in an absolute manner and in the absence of evidence due to the Bazoma Mitsotakis Triandopoulos at the scene of the crime, no one can conclusively conclude what caused the pyrosphere,” the statement said.

In the same context, SYRIZA relies on what Mr. Karonis writes “on page 122 (113 of the memorandum, even underlining the words) that “silicone oils cannot form a fireball” even though at another point, adopted by the government, it leaves the possibility open. This, of course, if true, potentially raises a huge safety issue for rail trains that will need to be addressed.”

However, the SYRIZA officials fail to mention that the professor stresses that this happens “in normal circumstances”, which is what the quoted passage refers to.

Caroni’s finding commits maximum hubris, Maria Karystianou says

Angry and personal was the reaction of Maria Karystianou to the conclusion of NTUA professor Dimitris Karonis, who attributed the big explosion and the pyrosphere caused after the collision of two trains in Tempe to the oils of the locomotives.

In a lengthy post, Ms Karystianou called it a fiasco of a conclusion, while targeting the professor by publishing his photo. “And Mr. Karonis is so ruthless that he commits the GREATEST HURT! TOLMA to dedicate THIS ‘abomination’ to our dead,” he stresses, adding: “DO NOT take my daughter in your mouth, Mr. Karoni, nor those who died martyrdom, because you have desecrated their memory in the worst way!”

Mrs Karystianou says that what Mr Karonis says in the finding is not only vague and speculative, but also refers to the Kapernaru video. “We will seek to send this conclusion of Mr. Karonis to the entire international scientific community, as he unscrupulously dares to contradict many of his colleagues with hypothetical references,” she notes.