"They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were.". "We heard a big bang, [it was] 10 nightmarish seconds," said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage. An intercity passenger train collided at high speed with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa. A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving initial treatment. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Agorastos described the collision on state television as "very powerful" and said it was "a terrible night. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. We are going to be here all night until we finish;until we find the last person.". Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. At least 16 people have been killed and dozens injured after a head-on collision between a passenger and cargo train in Greece. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropolou said she would cut short a visit to Moldovato return to Greece following the collision. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. We are facing an unimaginable tragedy, Sakellaropoulou said in a statement posted to her offices website. A crane operator, firefighters and rescuers work the scene of a collision in Tempe, about 235 miles north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Hospital units used to treat burn victims had been alerted in the area and dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort. After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. Hospital units used to treat burn victims in the area were alerted and dozens of ambulances dispatched to the scene. Larissa's chief coroner, Roubini Leondari, said so far 43 bodies had been brought to her for examination, and would require DNA identification as they were largely disfigured. Unfortunately, our efforts have not been sufficient to prevent such a bad incident. The U.S. Embassy in Athens said it was not aware of any American victims, adding that it was deeply saddened by the news of the tragic train collision this morning. Condolences poured in from world leaders, and European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels were lowered to half-staff. The impact just before midnight Tuesday threw some passengers into ceilings and out the windows. There are 20 to 25 people still missing, so the death toll from the collision could change, according to the BBC. Agorastos described the collision on state television as "very powerful" and said it was "a terrible night. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring at least 85, fire officials said. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. "It's hard to describe the scene. Greece train crash: Dozens killed in head-on rail collision north of Athens, A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece. The crash killed at least 36 people and injured at least 85 people. One survivor said there was panic among passengers, and fires that burned 'right and left. Greece sold railway operator TRAINOSE to Italys Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane in 2017 as part of its international bailout programme, in the expectation that hundreds of millions of euros would be invested in rail infrastructure. And this is very heavy for all of us and me personally., He called his stepping down the minimum sign of respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly.. The Associated Press contributed to this report. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near the gorge, about 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. The passenger train was en route from Athens to Thessaloniki with 342 passengers and a crew of 10. Smoke rose from trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after the accident. Many of the approximately 350 people aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greeces raucous Carnival, officials said. The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. ATHENS A passenger train and a freight train collided late Tuesday in central Greece, killing at least 36 people and leading to the arrest of a station master and the resignation of a government minister. The stationmaster was arrested in Larissa in connection to the crash and two others were brought in for questions, The Associated Press reported. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis. "It was a nightmarish 10 seconds, in the flames. Rescuers in Larissa, Greece are searching for survivors in the twisted remains of a passenger train and freight train that collided at high speed shortly before midnight. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early on Wednesday.Credit:AP, We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides [] then there was panic, cables [everywhere] fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burnt, fire was right and left.. Many were evacuated to Thessaloniki, where one woman ran to embrace her daughter as she disembarked from a bus with other survivors. Rescuers are searching wreckage for survivors after 26 people died and at least 85 were injured in a collision between a passenger train and a freight train in central Greece. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. By 8:30 a.m., at least a dozen people, including rescue workers in uniform, continued to search through rubble at the base of an overturned blue passenger car that remained in an field, according to Reuters footage. Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, thick plumes of smoke, badly damaged broken windows, and debris strewn across the road. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. They did not release the mans name or the reason for the arrest, but the stationmaster is responsible for rail traffic on that stretch of the tracks. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near a gorge, about 380 kilometres north of Athens. Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to TEMPE, Greece A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. ", A passenger who escaped from the fifth carriage told Skai TV: "Windows were being smashed and people were screaming One of the windows caved in from the impact of iron from the other train.". A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. Passenger train from Athens collides head-on with freight train in Greece, killing 36 people. Police said the 59-year-old stationmaster in Larissa was arrested, and a further two people detained for questioning. Railway safety in Greece has come under scrutiny in recent years, and the accident late Tuesday is the countrys deadliest, according to local media. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". An emergency government meeting was organised after the crash and Greek health minister Thanos Plevris went to the scene. "Based on these facts, and the findings from the scene of the tragedy, the number is expected to be greater" than the current toll of 36. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. He said windows shattered, showering riders with glass. Rail operator Hellenic Train reported about 350 people had been on the passenger train, which left Athens at 7.22pm (19:22 GMT). 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Greece train crash is deadliest in decades. They were looking around, searching; they didnt know where they were.. By subscribing, you agree to SBSs terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS. "I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones or suffered in this disaster.". Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned in the wake of the crash, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down "as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.". He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear carriages as he arrived. Tempe, Greece: A passenger train carrying hundreds of people collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing 32 people and injuring at least 85, officials said. The death toll was expected to rise further, a fire brigade official said. COSTAS KANTOURIS and NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. About 250 passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed weretaken safely to Thessaloniki on busesearly on Wednesday morning. March 1, 2023 11.14am. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. , ruins trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after crash. 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