A bombshell report from investigative journalist team Data Journalists alleges not only that the site of the Tempi train crash was cleaned up without proper investigation, but names a government official behind the decision.

According to an internal report from Hellenic Train obtained by Data Journalists, then-Secretary General of Transport Ioannis Xifaras rushed to clear all debris from the Tempi train crash site, and they note this clean-up was prioritized over all legal obligations and accident investigation standards. 

The allegations that the site was rushedly cleared has been previously lodged both by independent investigators and police who had been present at the time. 

The Greek government has stated that the investigation into the site was conducted properly and fully.

The documents obtained by Data Journalists, written by an executive at Hellenic Train, reveal that the night after the collision, arrangements were made to bring cranes and trucks from Athens to remove the wreckage. Debris removal began immediately, before forensic investigators could properly assess the scene.

Despite survivors and first responders reporting intense fires and fumes, the internal report makes no mention of the fire.

A little over 24 hours after the crash, the train’s undamaged freight wagons were cleared from the site, with approval from the Fire Department and the Greek Police. “In the morning, the movement of pieces of rolling stock began on the side of the passenger train, in collaboration with the Fire Department to locate missing members of the crew,” the report states. “The company’s crane began the process of moving the first electric locomotive (120022) of the commercial train. At the beginning of the work, traces of a human body were found and the Fire Department undertook to check the entire compartment.”

The documents state that on the second day after the crash then-Secretary General of Transport Yiannis Xifaras ordered the immediate removal of all wreckage and debris, ostensibly so that at least one railway track can be operational by Monday. “At noon (Friday 3/3/2023) I was informed by Mr. Xifaras that the destroyed rolling stock must be removed as soon as possible,” states the report.

Other reports in Greek media have indicated that the “landfilling” operation (removal of debris and soil) was decided at a high-level meeting attended by the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Christos Triantopoulos and the Regional Governor of Thessaly Kostas Agorastos. 

Data Journalists note that the soil that was removed from the site may have contained evidence of flammable substances and human remains.

The Greek government has previously claimed this “landfilling” was necessary due to an underground gas pipeline near the site, but the report shows the area around the pipeline was already marked and avoided. “In the meantime, space was created on the side of the passenger train so that both large cranes could be set up to remove the wagons. It should be noted that the main natural gas pipeline passes in the area next to the line. For this reason, its course was marked and the space where the crane’s legs could be set up was limited.”

According to the documents, investigators started looking for the train’s black boxes on Saturday, March 4, three full days after the crash—after much of the evidence had already been disturbed.

The Data Journalists report also states that according to the internal documents, oil and liquids from the crash site were cleaned up and disposed of, rather than collected and investigated: “With the removal of all the sheet metal from the side of the commercial train, oil residues from the rolling stock were found in the drainage channel and the Fire Department was asked to collect them so that they would not flow into the stream.”

They also note that former Secretary General of Transport Ioannis Xifara has never been called to testify in regards to the case.