Thessaloniki Mayor Honors First Responders to Tempi Train Crash and Quake-hit Turkey

(L-R) Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas; EMAK’s Commander Aristidis Katirtzidis; Thessaloniki Municipal Council President Petros Lekakis and EMAK’s Deputy Commander Miltiadis Karageorgiadis. Photo source: Thessaloniki Municipality.

The mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, recently honored Greece’s rescuers who were on the front lines of the response to the train accident in Tempi and the earthquake in Turkey.

“You are the face of Greek solidarity, duty and readiness… Your efforts have moved us and made us proud,” Zervas said, during a recent meeting at the Thessaloniki Municipality, while praising the rescuers for their courage, dedication and professionalism in the face of adversity.

First responders from the Greek Fire Department  2^nd Special Disaster Unit (EMAK) and the National First Aid Center (EKAB) were present during the meeting, which also paid tribute to the lives lost at the Tempi fatal train crash, the worst train accident in Greek history and the second most fatal European train accident during the last 18 years.

Photo source: Thessaloniki Municipality.

On behalf of EMAK, Commander Aristidis Katirtzidis and Deputy Commander Miltiadis Karageorgiadis received a municipal honorary plaque. Karageorgiadis expressed his gratitude for the honor and highlighted the importance of preventing similar tragedies from occurring again.

He also noted that the rescuers worked “not like heroes, as the media wrote, but professionally, armed with proper training and years of experience.”

The EKAB Thessaloniki branch also was given an honorary plaque, which as received by its director, Christina Karambelidou.

Director of the EKAB Thessaloniki branch Christina Karambelidou. Photo source: Thessaloniki Municipality.

During her acceptance speech, she spoke about the overwhelming human suffering that the rescuers had witnessed, noting that “in these incredibly difficult hours, we too are trying with self-sacrifice and unrestrained professionalism to help what can be saved and to take care of what hasn’t with utmost respect.”

First responders honored at the event also underlined the need to protect Thessaloniki’s buildings, which was hit by a major earthquake in 1978, from possible future natural disasters in the area and expressed their support to the families and friends of all those that who their lives in the fatal train crash at Tempi.