Kathimerini.com.cy
The whereabouts of Anastasia Adamidou, 24, of Paphos and Kyprianos Papaioannou, 23, of Avgorou, who were traveling on the Athens-Thessaloniki line when their train struck a freight train going the other way in Tempe, are still unknown. Yesterday, the families of the two Cypriots traveled to Larissa to provide a DNA sample. They are now awaiting the results. Cyprus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its part, is in constant contact with the relevant Greek authorities. Anastasia was traveling in the third carriage of the train, while it is unknown which carriage Kyprianos was traveling in.
Kornelios Korneliou, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on OMEGA's news program that the crisis management department was activated from the start. "We were contacted by families of Cypriots who were on the train, and immediately began coordinating with our embassy to try to locate them. We didn't have a list of passengers, and we didn't know how many Cypriots were on the train, but we found some who were fine, and one who was slightly injured but was discharged. Unfortunately, the fate of two people remains unknown". Korneliou stated that the two families have been in Larissa since yesterday, where a DNA sample was taken "to assist in the investigation."
It is recalled that the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated earlier that "the two Cypriots are neither on the list of victims nor on the list of injured, as they are considered missing". At the side of the two families in Larissa is the Cyprus Ambassador to Greece Kyriakos Kenevezos who said "all procedures are being followed regarding persons who have not yet been identified. I have never before experienced such a situation," he insisted, referring to the search for so many people who could not be identified.
The police, in collaboration with the forensic department, are expected to begin the identification of the bodies of the victims of the Tempe train crash that have been recovered so far today at noon.
President: We are in contact with the Cypriots' families
Asked to refer to the tragic train accident in Greece, the President of the Republic said that "it is an unspeakable tragedy, it is something that we are watching every day and, if you like, it is also a message for our own leadership, for every leader in every country, that all those actions should be taken beforehand so that such tragic developments can be avoided. According to what I've been told, it's due to human error. It's a tragedy. We are in contact with the families of the two individuals. On my instructions, the Foreign Minister spoke to both their families yesterday. Our Embassy in Athens and the Consulate General in Thessaloniki are attending to them, and we hope to hear more about the situation as soon as possible."
Friends and family are looking for them through social media
Friends and family of the two missing Cypriots are doing everything they can to help find them, expressing their sadness that they have not shown any signs of life. Anastasia Adamidou recently graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's dental school and was continuing her studies to obtain a postgraduate degree. Yesterday, outside the Larissa hospital, her boyfriend's father appealed for her to be found, stating that "There are still living people coming out of the third carriage she was in. I'm asking anyone who has seen her or knows anything to contact the authorities and let us know."
Christos Agathokleous, a student of agriculture from Pegeia, was also on board the fatal train, but was unharmed. Christos was in the rear carriages and escaped uninjured. He and the other passengers were able to escape by breaking the windows.
