Authorities have identified the elderly couple who died in a devastating highway crash on Holy Tuesday along the Egnatia Odos near the Polymylos toll station in northern Greece.
The victims were identified as Kostas Tzionas, 72, and his 68-year-old wife, Maria Agorastou. They had returned from Switzerland to spend Easter in their native villages.
Their lives were tragically cut short when their rental car was caught between a vehicle that reportedly failed to pass through the toll barrier and a heavy truck driven by a Ukrainian national, who is now in custody.
The couple had arrived in Greece on Tuesday morning and rented a car in Thessaloniki.
They were traveling to their hometowns — Mr. Tzionas from the Kamvounia region and Ms. Agorastou from Livadero — when the accident occurred.
According to police sources, investigators are reviewing footage from the toll station cameras, which were damaged in the fire but whose recordings were stored on a central server.
They are also examining data from the e-pass system to determine whether the toll barrier had lifted before impact — a claim reportedly made by the driver of the first vehicle in line.
The Ukrainian truck driver has allegedly told authorities he did not see the vehicles ahead due to dense fog and was unable to brake in time.
The charred remains of Mr. Tzionas and Ms. Agorastou were taken to Mamatsio Hospital in Kozani, where they were identified late Tuesday night.
Five others were injured in the crash, including a 26-year-old toll booth employee who is being treated at Kozani General Hospital.
A 34-year-old man — the driver of the first vehicle in the e-pass lane — sustained minor injuries and is also hospitalized. Contrary to initial reports, police have not confirmed that the man reversed his car prior to the crash.
Two other victims — a couple from Siatista — were transferred to the hospital in Veria and are reportedly in stable condition.
The tragedy has shocked the local community and raised urgent questions about highway safety procedures and toll booth infrastructure.