The debate over the causes of the fireball at Tempi is shifting once again — this time from xylene to hydrazine — opening a new round of controversy. The trigger was a reference made by Maria Karystianou to hydrazine as a substance potentially linked to what followed the fatal collision of two trains, prompting Nikos Plakias to respond swiftly and in a sharply cutting tone via a post on X.
Plakias on Karystianou’s statements: After 44 months of xylene, hydrazine has entered our lives
“And suddenly, after 44 months filled with xylene, hydrazine has entered our lives,” he wrote pointedly. He continued: “Yes, according to revelations made to a journalist, this is the flammable material the train was carrying. And so the xylene found at the accident site and at the State Chemical Laboratory is apparently due to the combustion of the trains’ materials.” He concluded with thinly veiled sarcasm, without naming anyone specifically: “Oh!!! What is hydrazine? It’s rocket fuel — and apparently it will now also be used as fuel for all-purpose projectiles.”
Και ξαφνικά μετά από 44 μήνες γεμάτους ξυλόλιο μπήκε στην ζωή μας η Υδραζινη . Ναι αυτό είναι σύμφωνα με τις αποκαλύψεις σε δημοσιογράφο το εύφλεκτο υλικό που κουβαλούσε το τρένο . Και έτσι το ξυλόλιο που βρέθηκε στο σημείο του δυστυχήματος και στο χημείο του κράτους οφείλεται στην καύση των υλικών των τρένων. Α !!! Τι είναι η υδραζινη ; Είναι καύσιμο για πυραύλους και μάλλον τώρα θα χρησιμοποιηθεί και σαν καύσιμο για βλήματα παντός τύπου.
— Plakiasnikos (@PlakiasNikos) October 4, 2026
It is worth recalling that Maria Karystianou addressed the fireball issue extensively during her interview with Nikos Hatzinikolaou, reiterating her position that the collision of two electric trains combined with silicone oils “cannot produce a fireball of that magnitude.”
She cited, among other things, findings she claimed relate to xylene, toluene, and other aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the EODASAAM report and the Karonis experiment. She also noted that of the three transformers on the trains, two were found intact, while the third, according to her account, remained two-thirds full.
In the same context, she mentioned hydrazine as a possible substance involved, stating that it “has a connection to aviation.”
