With central slogans “I have no oxygen” and “No crime goes unpunished”, thousands of people are expected to attend the demonstrations on Sunday across Greece in protest of inconclusive investigations into the Tempi train crash.

The central demonstration called by the “Association of Families of Victims of the Tempi Disaster” is scheduled for Athens’ central Syntagma Square, on Sunday, at 12 noon. 

Calls for demonstrations were sparked both by new revelations in the details of the crash this week, and the nomination of Konstantinos Tasoulas as presidential candidate. 

This week leaked audio came from phone calls made by passengers on the train to the emergency 112 number, in which they can be heard, after the crash, calling for help and struggling to breathe.

Additionally, an expert accident investigation committee commissioned by the victims’ families submitted a report on Monday with findings that the deaths of 30 passengers occurred after the collision and were linked to the presence of large amounts of flammable liquids—not silicone oil from the trains’ transformers, as previously alleged.

The report sheds light on the causes of the disaster, which claimed 57 lives, and reveals new evidence challenging earlier narratives, including those put forth by the Greek government.

Further, relatives of the victims have stridently opposed the New Democracy nomination of Konstantinos Tasoulas for President of the Republic, accusing him of impeding investigations: “We demand an immediate investigation into the explosion of the illegal chemical cargo and the fire that burned our loved ones alive,” reads the call communicated by the president of the Association of Relatives of Tempi Victims, Maria Karystianou. “We could have all been in the deadly wagons. We demand Tasoulas’ explanations before his swearing in to the highest office for burying the Tempi files in the drawers of the Parliament. At Syntagma on Sunday, the heart of society beats loudly! Thank you, we are waiting for you all there!”

Shortly after the  gathering outside the Parliament was announced, citizens and organizations mobilized in other cities.

Calls for rallies, in addition to Syntagma, already exist for the same day and time in Thessaloniki, Chania, Heraklion, Larissa, Alexandroupoli, Drama and Chalkida.

  • In Thessaloniki , the gathering will take place in Kamara.
  • In Heraklion , Crete, at Eleftherias Square.
  • In Chania  at the Agora Square.
  • In Larissa,  in the central square of the city.
  • In Alexandroupoli , outside the City Hall.
  • In Drama , at Eleftherias Square.
  • In Chalkida , at Tahidromiou Square.

Nearly two years after the disaster, victims’ families continue their fight for justice and have repeatedly accused authorities of deliberate efforts to obscure the truth. In an effort to draw attention to their relentless demand for justice, the families of the victims have taken their case to the European Parliament in the past and even organized an emotive concert over the past summer in Greece.

The Tempi disaster remains Greece’s most devastating train accidents, exposing deep flaws in the country’s transport and safety infrastructure.