Overview
- The case names 36 defendants, largely railway personnel including the duty stationmaster, with potential life sentences in the most serious counts.
- Fifty-seven people died in the February 28, 2023 head-on collision near Tempi, with many victims in their teens and early twenties and hundreds more injured.
- Court officials expect more than 350 witnesses, and roughly 230 survivors and bereaved relatives have joined as co-plaintiffs.
- Most defendants did not appear at the opening session, and all remain free pending trial.
- Relatives continue to allege a cover-up and failures to install modern safety systems despite available EU funds, as the European Public Prosecutor pursues related corruption inquiries.