Tempi Tragedy: The Curious Searches, Behavioral Changes, and Haunting Sketches Before the Disaster

Unusual searches, melancholic states, and even ‘prophetic’ sketches hinting at impending doom were noticed by the parents of the victims shortly before the Tempi tragedy. One particularly haunting sketch was drawn by 23-year-old Angelos Telkeridis, a victim of the train accident in Tempi. In the drawing, one can see a tunnel, railway tracks disappearing into darkness, a sky filled with black smoke, fields spread out on either side, and a figure passing in front of the light, like a shadow walking toward the unknown. According to his father, Angelos created this sketch just days before the tragedy at a café in Thessaloniki, using a block of drawing paper he found nearby without commenting further to those present. Friends later handed over the sketch to his parents. The father noted how much the sketch resembles the scene of the tragedy, pointing out details such as the tunnel, the railway lines, dark clouds, smoke, and even crosses that seem to appear in certain parts of the image. Angelos wasn’t alone in having an eerie premonition about the disaster. Other victims also displayed unusual behavior or made comments suggesting they sensed something amiss. For instance, Afroditi Tsoma, another victim, told her mother during their last meal together that her life would be short-lived. Similarly, Anastasia Papangelē’s demeanor changed drastically in the weeks leading up to the accident, becoming unusually melancholic and withdrawn, according to her father. These accounts paint a poignant picture of lives tragically cut short.