Maria Karystianou has accused the Greek government of a cover-up after she was told her 19-year-old daughter was instantly killed in the nation’s worst train crash, but a recording has suggested otherwise
A heartbroken mother whose 19-year-old daughter tragically died in a huge train crash revealed the harrowing final five words she heard. 57 people were killed in Greece’s worst rail disaster in history, in 2023, but Maria Karystianou, whose daughter Mathi died, has accused the government of a cover-up.
Maria, 52, said she was previously told her daughter died instantly, when the InterCity 62 from Athens to Thessaloniki slammed headfirst into a freight train. Despite this, a recording made by another traveller’s phone, that was transmitted to emergency services, has suggested this was not the case – catching her friend’s last words before the girls died.
The 19-year-old was travelling back home following a carnival, in the southern city of Patras, with her best friend Francesca on February 28, 2023. Maria said her lawyer played the phone recording to her and she recognised Francesca’s voice, according to The Sunday Times.
The mother shared what she heard in the recording and the heartbreaking final words between the teenagers. Maria said: “I could hear her talking to my daughter, saying, ‘Marthi, we are going to die, I love you’.” At another point in the recording, Francesca also said: “We have no oxygen.”
Maria added: “For three horrible minutes Marthi was alive with her friend. The recordings showed people were not just alive but conscious and able to talk about what was happening to them.”
The teenagers were reportedly killed right after this when a blazing inferno engulfed the train. Maria said her daughter’s body had been burnt so badly by the vicious fire that she was not able to identify Marthi, when she went to the tragic site three days later.
Maria said she was initially ready to accept the claim that this unbelievable tragedy was down to “human error” as the station master allegedly moved the track switch so the passenger train was wrongly moved to the track the freight train was on. This changed for the mum after the worker, who was facing homicide charges, denied knowing the freight train would be on the same track.
One raised question was why he was employed in this role as he was 59 years old – which is usually too old to be a station master in Greece. Another issue was that this passenger train should not have been able to spend so long on the wrong track due to an upgrading project worth €41 million project, and partially funded by the EU.
This safety system was due to be completed in 2016 but claims of fraud and financial mishandling have circled the project. Maria said: “Of course this was an accident, but it was an avoidable accident.”
The cause of the inferno has also been questioned as one expert claimed highly explosive chemicals on the train were behind the fireball, but this has not been confirmed. The Greek government said it would react to findings of “very serious shortcomings and understaffing and underfunding” from a 180-report into the tragedy.
The centre-right government however has denied any claims that it hindered the investigation into this crash. Despite this, the heartbroken mum slammed Greek politicians and said: “Traditionally in Greece, politicians are never guilty of anything and this is the big problem.
“I just want justice to be served and to be sure that something like this will never happen again. I know that’s what my daughter would have wanted.”