A forensic investigation into audio files from the night of Greece’s deadly Tempe train crash in central Greece in late February 2023 has found no evidence of tampered-with or missing recordings, according to an expert report submitted to the lead investigator in Larissa.
The report, prepared by Professor Athanasios Rontogiannis of the National Technical University of Athens, was added to the case file last Friday.
It examined digital audio logs from the Greek railway operator’s systems after allegations surfaced that 11 minutes of crucial communications between the stationmaster and the train driver had been deleted.
Rontogiannis analyzed audio files recorded between 10.30 p.m. and 11.55 p.m. on February 28, the night of the crash.
His report concluded that there were no gaps in the numbering of 64 relevant audio files and that their duration matched the railway’s call data logs.
“No alterations were detected,” he wrote.
The forensic examination was ordered in July 2024 by Larissa investigating judge Sotiris Bakaimis after a legal complaint from the family of the commercial train’s driver, who was among the 57 people killed in the crash.
Their lawyers had argued that audio evidence might have been tampered with to conceal mistakes in railway operations.
The Tempe crash, Greece’s deadliest rail disaster, involved a head-on collision between a passenger intercity train and a freight train.
A separate expert report, still pending, will analyze the causes of the explosion and fire that followed the collision.
The findings could play a crucial role in determining accountability, as investigators continue examining systemic failures that may have contributed to the disaster.
The case remains under judicial review, with potential legal consequences for railway officials.