At least 35 people died and 53 were seriously injured on Tuesday night when a freight train and a passenger train collided in central Greece. As operations are still underway, the death toll is set to rise.
A passenger train from Athens collided head-on with a freight train from the opposite direction, from the port city of Thessaloniki. The passenger train was the Intercity 62, which had left Athens at 19:22 on Tuesday evening with about 350 passengers bound for Thessaloniki, according to initial information from railway officials.
"The search and rescue operation is in full swing," a fire service spokesperson told state television from the scene of the disaster near the town of Larissa. "It is a tragedy."
BREAKING: Two trains collide in Greece, at least 32 killed, 85 injured. #Τεμπη_Τραγωδια #Τεμπη #Λαρισα #greecetraincrash #GreeceTrainAccident #trainaccident pic.twitter.com/YrNXNz3wRF
— World Times (@WorldTimesWT) March 1, 2023
Rescue workers are trying to lift the derailed wagons with cranes and other heavy equipment to search for survivors and victims. The two hospitals in the Larissa region have been requisitioned to take care of the injured, according to Onlarissa (local media).
One person who survived the accident said a fire broke out in the passenger train after the collision. "There was chaos and a hellish noise," he added on state television. "We smashed the windows with our suitcases and groped our way out of our carriage in the dark," a young man said.
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The question as to how the two trains could have ended up on the same track and collided head-on remains unanswered. An investigation into the cause of the train disaster is ongoing, but state television has reported that a railway boss has already been arrested.
The line, which connects Athens to Thessaloniki, had been modernised in recent years, but there are reportedly still problems with the coordination of traffic control. An emergency meeting of the government has also been organised.
