On 28 February 2023, a head-on collision occurred between two trains south of the Tempe Valley in Greece, about halfway between the Greek villages of Tempi and Evangelismos in the Thessaly region.

Beginning on 2 March 2023, railway workers of Hellenic Train and the Athens Metro went on strike to protest the dangers related to the crash.

Accusations have also been made against officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure who manipulated the site of the accident with "landfilling" that followed the completion of the rescue operation.

However, the trial is still a long way off (journalists estimate the end of 2025), with hundreds of petitions pending for the investigating judge to consider.

[24] The head-on collision between the two trains occurred at 23:21 on the Athens–Thessaloniki mainline, which is operated by OSE, the Greek national railway company.

At 23:40, the Hellenic Fire Service arrives on the scene with 40 firemen and 17 vehicles, followed 10 minutes later by 4 ambulances and a mobile unit with a doctor,[30] while hospitals in the area were alerted to be ready to receive victims.

Despite being treated at specialized brain injury rehabilitation facilities in Hanover, Boston, and Milan, he continues to remain in a coma.

[48] An emergency meeting was called by Greece's government following the crash, and Health Minister Thanos Plevris visited the scene.

[50] EMAK (Hellenic special disaster management unit) were ordered to stop all operations on site for Katerina Sakellaropoulou to better understand the crash.

[58] One of them, Larissa's stationmaster, Vassilis Samaras, who had been working at this post for five consecutive nights and had apparently been alone while on shift,[59] was detained and charged with causing death and injury through negligence.

[65] It also coincided with growing demands[66] for the approval by the Parliament[67] of the "Rail Accident Investigation Board"[68] (Greek: Επιτροπή Διερεύνησης Σιδηροδρομικών Ατυχημάτων και Συμβάντων, romanized: Epitropi Dierevnisis Sidirodromikon Atychimaton Kai Symvanton), an independent body tasked with investigating accidents causing death, serious injuries, or extensive damage on the Greek railway network.

[73] In an article published by Politico on 26 January 2024, it is alleged that in a letter sent by EPPO prosecutor Popi Papandreou on 2 June 2023 to the Greek authorities, Papandreou noted that during the investigation into the crash "suspicions have arisen regarding alleged criminal offences committed by former members of the Greek Government.

"[75] On 17 January 2025, the "Association of Families of Victims of the Tempi Disaster" submitted to the appellant investigator of Larissa, the conclusion of their technical advisor, Vassilis Kokotsakis.

[76] The expert's final report reveals that the cause of the explosion following the fire that killed the last 30 people who survived the crash was liquid chemical solvents.

[77] The fact that the area where the wreckage of the passenger train fell was very carefully patched up (covered with thickly soaked quarry gravel and covered with a lot of concrete) almost ruled out the possibility of collecting materials (organic and inorganic) from the ground that could shed light on the causes of the fatal explosion.

[78] The expert also concluded that the "fireball" phenomenon that occurred after the collision of the two trains was not due to the ignition of silicone oils, as stated in the OSE's conclusion, but to the presence and ignition of liquid chemical solvents such as xylene and toluene illegally carried on the freight train, which contributed to the intensity of the fire and explosions.

[79] In support of this conclusion, an audio document was released showing that some of the victims did not die as a result of the collision but were burnt alive.

Its reproduction on social networks reinforced the view, which has existed in Greek public opinion since 2023, that the Mitsotakis government and the prime minister himself are trying to cover up what really happened.

[86] Despite ongoing judicial investigations, no one has been held accountable, leading to public frustration over the perceived neglect of the rail network and the slow pace of promised reforms.

It is a decision by single-justice first instance court in Athens (Labour Disputes Chamber) and concerns the death of the ticket inspector of the passenger train.

The court held both OSE and Hellenic Train responsible for the malfunctioning of the centralized traffic control and signalling system, which led to the death of the worker, and awarded the victim's family compensation of 800,000 euros.

[87] Following the train crash, the Greek government declared a three-day period of mourning, during which all flags were flown at half-mast, and celebratory events were postponed.

[91] Critics blamed a lack of public investment during the deep financial crisis that spanned most of the previous decade for the rail disaster.

The motion came following the publication a report by the newspaper To Vima suggesting that audio transcripts of conversations between the station manager and the train driver leaked to the press following the disaster had been heavily edited to indicate human error in the crash.

[97] On 6 February 2025, Christos Triantopoulos resigned as deputy minister for civil protection following allegations that he had tampered with evidence related to the crash.

At the end of the Athens protest, when the demonstrators reached the Hellenic Train headquarters, fights broke out, with the police using tear gas against the crowd.

[101][103] In response to both the tragedy and growing dissatisfaction of the industry at large, the Panhellenic Union of Train Personnel walked out in protest of working conditions and the failure to modernize the rail network, starting their strike on 2 March 2023, despite the STASY metro workers' union suspending planned strike action on the Athens Metro out of respect for the victims the previous day.

[92][104] Scuffles broke out in Athens with police firing tear gas into crowds that gathered in front of the Hellenic Train's headquarters.

[118] On the first anniversary of the disaster on 28 February 2024, more than 30,000 people marched in Athens to commemorate the crash,[119] while church bells across the country were rung 57 times to symbolize the number of fatalities.

One year after the crash, the Association of Relatives of the Victims of the 2023 Tempe railway disaster collected signatures through the online platform change.org, with the aim of abolishing immunity for ministers and commencing an inquiry concerning the involvement of ministers responsible for train safety, after a related revision of the Greek Constitution.