Maria Karystianou, whose daughter Mathi, 19, died in Greece’s worst rail disaster with 57 people killed, has accused the government of a cover-up and shared her heartbreak.

A devastated mum has spoken out about the last moments of her 19 year old daughter’s life, who perished in Greece’s deadliest train collision to date. Maria Karystianou, 52, is accusing officials of concealing the truth about the incident that claimed 57 lives in 2023.

Maria was initially informed that her daughter Mathi died on impact when the InterCity 62 from Athens to Thessaloniki collided with a freight train. However, a phone recording from another passenger, which captured the final words of the victims and was sent to emergency services, suggests otherwise, reports the Mirror.

Mathi was returning from a carnival in Patras with her best friend Francesca on February 28, 2023. Maria recounted to The Sunday Times how her lawyer let her listen to the recording, where she recognised Francesca’s voice.

In a heart-wrenching revelation, Maria disclosed the last exchange between the two girls: “I could hear her talking to my daughter, saying, ‘Marthi, we are going to die, I love you’.”

Francesca can also be heard saying, “We have no oxygen.”

Maria lamented, “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 tragically perished soon thereafter when a ferocious blaze consumed the train. Maria recounted her harrowing inability to identify her daughter Marthi’s remains, which were severely charred by the intense flames, when she visited the site of the calamity three days later.

Maria was at first inclined to believe that “human error” might explain the inconceivable catastrophe, based on reports that the station master had incorrectly operated a track switch, rerouting the passenger train onto the same track as an oncoming freight train. However, her perspective shifted when the employee, who faced charges of manslaughter, refuted any knowledge that the freight train would be present on that track.

One significant point of contention arose concerning the individual’s suitability for the position, given that at 59 years old, he is considered beyond the typical age range for Greek station masters. Moreover, an EU-funded upgrade, valued at €41 million, was intended to prevent trains from travelling long distances on incorrect tracks—a system that should have been operational since 2016.

Yet, allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement have plagued the project. Maria asserted adamantly: “Of course this was an accident, but it was an avoidable accident.”

The cause of the blaze is under scrutiny, with one expert suggesting that highly volatile chemicals on the train could have sparked the fireball. However, this theory has yet to be confirmed.

The Greek government has pledged to respond to a 180-page report highlighting “very serious shortcomings and understaffing and underfunding” in relation to the disaster.

Despite these allegations, the centre-right government has refuted any suggestions that it obstructed the investigation into the crash. In response to this, the devastated mother criticised Greek politicians, stating: “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.”

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