The Tempi train crash investigator resigned on Wednesday, amid controversy over the probe of deadly train disaster in 2023. Deputy chairman of the National Aviation and Railway Accidents & Transportation Safety Investigation Agency (HARSIA), Christos Papadimitriou, submitted his resignation in a letter to the deputy minister of Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis, on Wednesday.
Papadimimtriou came under fire beginning of the week after two European universities denied involvement in HARSIA report’s finding, with the deputy chairman to claim that he was put under pressure to publish them.
Intended to shed light on the causes of the disaster — including the massive fireball that erupted following the collision — the report claimed to incorporate expert input from several European research institutions.
The revelations raised serious questions about the credibility and transparency of the official investigation.
Short before Papadimitriou’s resignation on Wednesday, he was heavily criticized by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, who reportedly accused him of wavering on the fireball issue.
Citing “sources” state-run news agency amna, wrote that Papadimitrioy had not been asked to resign but decided to do so voluntarily.
“I believe that HARSIA has prepared a comprehensive report, which is valuable for the future of rail transport in Greece. The only exception is the issue of fireball, which, in the opinion of the entire Council, requires further investigation. I have been stating this since the day the findings were presented,” Papadimitriou said in his resignation letter citing ” personal and family reasons.”