Tempe crash families seek exhumations

Relatives of victims killed successful Greece’s deadliest train catastrophe successful precocious February 2023 are pressing for exhumations arsenic the Tempe obstruction clang probe faces renewed scrutiny. 

The lawsuit returned to nationalist attraction pursuing Panos Routsis’ hunger and thirst strike demanding his son Dennis Rucci’s exhumation. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis has deferred questions to the judiciary.

During the investigation, three exhumation requests for two victims were submitted to special investigative justice Sotiris Bakaimis. Requests from Panos Aslanidis and Christos Tilkeridis were rejected, with nary further requests filed earlier the lawsuit record was handed implicit connected September 8.

Aslanidis archetypal applied successful precocious 2024, but the justice deemed it premature pending a study from National Technical University prof Dimitris Karonis connected the fireball’s cause. He reapplied successful 2025 but received the aforesaid rejection. The tribunal cited combined reports from three university professors – Karonis, Tsakiridis, and Paspalas – concluding nary amerciable cargo existed.

Tilkeridis’ May petition was besides rejected, with the justice noting exhumation was sought “to beryllium amerciable cargo, which has been excluded by the professors.” Tilkeridis, who mislaid his son Angelos successful the disaster, did not entreaty the investigator’s decision.

Following the investigative phase, exhumations present necessitate prosecutorial orders. After February 28, 2026 – three years aft the clang – victims’ relatives tin freely petition exhumations.

Supreme Court authoritative Konstantinos Tzavellas received an extrajudicial declaration September 16, forwarding it to competent judicial bodies while emphasizing “no wide exhumation petition for victim recognition is contained successful the declaration.”

On Monday, relatives submitted an 80-signature petition arguing the probe closed hastily without examining important evidence, including State Chemistry Laboratory findings connected flammable materials successful rider cars. The petition highlighted “converging omissions” successful investigating the occurrence that killed dozens of passengers.