Shock and waves of emotion “spread” through the courtroom in Larissa, where the case of the Tembi railway tragedy is being heard, as the priest—the father of 23-year-old Kyprianos Papaioannou, Christodoulos. The unfortunate young man from Avgorou “passed away” on the night of February 28, 2023, in the wreckage of the ill-fated train, along with 56 other victims…

Holding photographs of his son, the father spoke of his son’s character, faith, and love for Greece, while also describing the circumstances under which he was informed of the accident, the search for his son, and the handling of Kyprianos’s remains.

Referring to his mother’s death, he said, “I wouldn’t let anyone touch her body,” adding that “for me, the body is inseparable from the soul; I have some things to say about the entire handling of Kyprianos’s case.”

READ ALSO: “They Have a Heavenly Birthday”: The father of the tragically lost Kyprianos commemorated the 57 victims of the Tempi disaster

“He was a child full of life, with boundless love for God and his homeland”

Speaking about his son, Christodoulos Papaioannou described a young man full of energy, joy, and love for life, who inspired his friends with his faith in God.

As he noted, Kyprianos had a deep love for Greece and wanted to serve his country. He served in the Special Forces and then decided to study law in Thessaloniki.

“He was a child of obedience and joy, full of life. From a very young age, he had the gift of taking away the problems you were facing,” he said, describing his character.

As he revealed, Kyprianos had been chanting church hymns since the age of two and would wake up before him so they could go to church together.

“He had boundless love for God and his homeland, Mother Greece. He wanted to be a fighter; he consistently served his country,” he said.

READ ALSO: “Kyprianos had burns; his jacket smelled strongly of chemicals”

Wedding preparations and the tragic news

Kyprianos’s father also spoke about the days leading up to the accident, when the family was preparing for his wedding, which had been scheduled for August 27, 2023.

As he described, while Christina, Kyprianos’s fiancée, was trying on the wedding tiara, she expressed concern because her partner wasn’t responding to her messages.

He turned on the TV and saw images of the massive fireball that formed after the trains collided.

“I was holding the wreaths in one hand and watching the explosion with the other. I felt my blood run cold. Deep down, I knew something had happened,” he described.

As he said, at first he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and his anxiety grew as he had no news from his son.

Kyprianos had decided to travel by train to Thessaloniki instead of flying in order to save money ahead of his wedding.

“He told me that he had finally decided to take the train to save money because he’s getting married,” his father said.

“That crash cut the lifeline of my life. It changed everything in my life. It shattered us,” he said, describing the magnitude of the loss for his family.

READ ALSO: “In Memory of the Deceased”: Kyprianou’s Last Words in His Notebook

“Who ordered that I not be allowed to see my child?”

Christodoulos Papaioannou spoke at length about the search for his son and the difficulties that, as he claimed, the family faced while dealing with the tragedy.

As he said, they decided not to return to Cyprus unless they found Kyprianos, whether alive or dead.
Describing his experiences at the scene of the accident, he expressed concern about the way in which, in his view, the relevant authorities handled the crisis.

He also referred to an incident in which, as he said, the rescuers stopped them because officials had arrived to lay flowers.
He was particularly vocal about being barred from seeing his child’s body.

“Who ordered that I not be allowed to see my child? Two uniformed officers came and told me that no one would be allowed to see anyone. ‘It’s an order from very high up,’ they told me,” he said.

As he explained, the family received the coffin closed, with instructions not to open it. He, however, insisted that he wanted to see his son, regardless of his condition.

“I was very patient. I was breaking inside,” he said, describing the emotional ordeal he went through.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: “Where Have You Gone, My Heart?” Cyprian’s classmates sang to him

“He was inside a black bag, dead, naked, beaten”

Kyprianos’ father described what, according to his testimony, he saw when the family opened the coffin.

As he reported, his son’s body was inside a black bag and bore signs of beatings and burns.

After the family returned to Cyprus, he said, they treated their son’s wounds themselves.

“We washed his wounds with wine. We saw the burns, and there was a smell like chemicals, like the ones used at the dry cleaner’s,” he said.

He claimed that the Cypriot boy had bruises on his body and raised questions about the forensic examination process, saying that he felt violence had been inflicted on his child’s body.

At the same time, he mentioned burns which, in his opinion, require further investigation, as he believes they cannot be explained by silicone oils.

These reports constitute the father’s allegations, and he is asking that the relevant issues be examined by the courts.

READ ALSO: Father Christodoulos Shocks: Our Smile, Divine Comfort for Kyprianos

Questions about the fireball and the causes of the explosion

A significant portion of his testimony concerned the causes of the fireball that formed after the train collision and the circumstances under which the passengers lost their lives.

Christodoulos Papaioannou asked the court to investigate what caused the massive explosion, as well as what caused the burns that, he claimed, Kyprianos sustained.

At the same time, he raised questions regarding the death toll and the handling of human remains, requesting an investigation into whether there are any remains that have not been identified or returned to their families.

“We must respect even the smallest part of the body. I ask that justice be served for the unidentified dead as well, so that we may give them the honor they deserve,” he said.

He went on to add that, if there are remains that remain in storage without having been returned to the families, this constitutes, in his view, a lack of respect for the dead.

He also referred to analyses that, as he said, were conducted on items that belonged to his son—including his wallet—mentioning evidence of the presence of toluene and benzene. This evidence, like his other allegations, must be evaluated by the competent authorities and the court.

READ ALSO: Friends and relatives bid farewell to Kyprianos dressed in white

“Be precise and fair toward the defendants”

Despite his grief, Christodoulos Papaioannou appealed to the judges to approach the case with fairness, care, and honesty.

“We owe it to the people we call defendants to treat them with accuracy and fairness. We must view them with love but also with truth,” he emphasized.

He called for all the evidence in the case file to be examined thoroughly and for the responsibilities attributed to each person involved to be carefully evaluated.

As he noted, the court’s decision should help restore a sense of balance to the lives of both the victims’ families and the defendants, while he emphasized that the investigation into the case must continue, as he believes there is still evidence that needs to be examined.

“I believe this is a good start toward conducting an investigation and uncovering the truth. There is still a great deal of evidence that needs to be examined so that we can find out how our people were taken,” he noted.

In closing, he reiterated that his family continues to seek answers regarding the circumstances of Kyprianou’s death, the fireball, and the burns, which, he claims, have not been adequately explained.

“Our loved one is seeking answers, and three and a half years have passed,” he said, calling for the surviving eyewitnesses to be summoned to testify at the trial and for all aspects of the tragedy to be investigated.

For Kyprianou’s father, the search for the truth is not only about his personal loss but also about the need to hold those responsible accountable, out of respect for the memory of all the victims and their families.
 

Source: skai.gr