Tempe: What the fatal trains carried – The new evidence

Newer evidence is emerging regarding the critical issue of the deadly explosion that followed the collision of the two trains in Tempi. The relevant investigation has been assigned by the judicial authorities to a professor of the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, while a relevant conclusion is also expected from the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents.

It is noted that initially there were findings of experts appointed by the OSE and the Larissa Traffic Police (responsible for the investigation of the dramatic incident) that attributed the explosion to the diffusion and ignition of oils (total weight of six tons) of the three transformers.

But something that was rejected by the technical advisers of the families of the victims, who noted that the degree of ignition of the thick silicone oil is low. Recently they even found that the cracks in the transformers were relatively small to justify such a “dispersion” of oils to cause the explosion.

The families’ technical advisers focused their attention on traces of xylene found in phase two. Thus, the version was formulated that “perhaps at the Thessaloniki station, a wagon originating from North Macedonia was illegally loaded – and it had metal sheets with two or three tanks weighing one ton each – with fuel adulteration solvents that actually contain xylene”.

The routes of fuel smuggling rings

However, as five employees have already filed (goods handlers, inspectors, etc.), “at the Thessaloniki station nothing else was loaded in any wagon other than what was mentioned in the bills of lading”. Furthermore, railway workers from the co-capital reported to “Vima” that “no illegality was committed and the related scenarios for tying up tanks are completely unfounded”. The same point of view is adopted by EL.AS executives. and of the SDOE that have dealt with the activity of smuggling rings.

As they note, “fuel smuggling rings have never been found to use trains to transport the solvents from Bulgaria. What they do is use trucks, with a capacity of 24-25 tons, which are directed to illegal warehouses in Aspropyrgos, where the counterfeit substances are mixed with fuel. Import is made with legitimate documents from fictitious companies for alleged use of paint solvents etc..».

And they continue: “We do not consider it likely that the smuggling rings used the OSE network to import a relatively small amount of solvents. Something that would require, among other things, the assistance of dozens of “initiated” railway employees, who would assist in the covert loading of the tanks in the co-capital and then in their unloading at the Thriasios station”. But they conclude: “However, all scenarios must be considered…”

In the meantime, according to information, it is expected that documents with analyzes from the State General Chemistry of confiscated fuel adulteration solvents will be requested from the competent audit services (EL.AS., SDOE, etc.) smuggling oil at gas stations.

The reason; To determine if the substances they contain match those found at the scene of the tragedy. According to relevant documents of the prosecuting authorities available to the newspaper, “in fuel adulteration solvents naphtha is found, but it can generally be any distillate fraction of crude oil.”

As experts point out, “Naphtha, as a derivative of oil, belongs to petrochemical products. The name naphtha also refers to crude oil, as well as various fractions of coal tar which mainly contain xylene, which was indeed found in Tempi. However, it usually contains other substances, some of which were not detected at the scene of the tragedy, which was however investigated with a considerable delay and while it was preceded by his death.”.

Finally, railway officials noted that the fatal passenger train did not carry any object in its container (either at the departure from the engine room in Rentis or at the entrance of the passengers at the Larissa station). Consequently, another scenario that perhaps some suspicious object located in INTERCITY 62 caused the massive explosion seems to be unlikely. With the judicial officers thoroughly investigating this dimension of the dramatic incident.