While the cause of Tuesday's collision was not immediately clear, Greece's ageing railway system has long been in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems yet to be installed in many areas. A teenage survivor who did not give his name told Greek reporters as he got off one of the buses that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 of those hurt had serious injuries. Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Patrick Quinn and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this story. I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.. A teenage survivor who did not give his name saidhe had used a bag to break open the window of his carriage and escape. Two carriages of train in 'nightmare' crash 'no longer exist' - follow live updates. Theres debris flung all around the crash site.. Temperatures reached 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 Fahrenheit), which makes it even more difficult to identify the people who were in it, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said. Around 60 had been taken to hospital, with six of them in intensive care. Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/passenger-train-freight-train-collide-central-greece/102038088. A passenger train and a freight train collided in northern Greece, killing at least 32 people and injuring 85 others as plumes of smoke filled the night sky. "They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were.". A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. 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. The Greek army has been called in to assist in the rescue effort. Officials said many of the passengers on the Athens to Thessaloniki train were university students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend. At least 66 of those injured were still hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, as of 10 a.m. local time. "They were travelling at great speed and one (driver) didn't know the other was coming," he said. (Video: The Washington Post). - 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. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the broader Thessaly region, told broadcaster SKAI TV that the trains had been travelling towards each other on the same track. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. What appeared to be the passenger train's third carriage lay atop the crumpled remains of the first two, where emergency crews were directing their focus. The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.. Dear President Biden: War in Ukraine isnt just about Ukraine, There can be no genuine budget discipline without entitlement reform, Two birds, one stone: 1619 Project vindicates capitalism. Passengers speaking to the BBC described hearing a big bang and escaping the fire that engulfed their train immediately after the collision. Rail operator Hellenic Train saidabout 350 people were travelling on the passenger train, which left Athens at about7:30pm local time for the northern city of Thessaloniki. The collision between freight and passenger trains occurred some 235 miles north of Athens and left several cars derailed. Sources: Hellenic Fire Service, Geodata.gov.gr. The evacuation of victims was carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service. Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped.. The cargo train it collided with wastravelling from Thessaloniki to the city ofLarissa. Many of the victims were thought to be university students. Many of the passengers were students returning to Thessaloniki from Carnival, but officials said but no detailed passenger list was available. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early on Wednesday. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. "This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said deputy health minister Mina Gaga. FDA panel recommends first RSV vaccine for adults 60 and older, Biden touts plan to raise taxes on the rich, but its unclear he has support in the House, Eli Lilly announces out-of-pocket cap on insulin at $35 a month, Why are eggs so expensive? My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. The pontiff sends the assurance of his prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy, the message said. Five hours later, we are finding bodies.". At least 32 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured after two trains collided in Greece. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. "Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said. Passengers who were on board the train from Athens spoke to local media early on Wednesday morning, describing the frenzied scenes in the aftermath of the crash. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai Television the two trains crashed head on at high speed. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. Meanwhile, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said she was cutting short a visit to Moldova to return to Greece. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. "We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Two trains collided head-on inGreece,killing at least 36 people and injuring 85, late on Tuesday night, but the cause of the deadliest rail crash inGreecein decades remained unclear. About 250 passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed weretaken safely to Thessaloniki on busesearly on Wednesday morning. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. 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. We are pulling out people alive, injuredthere are dead," he said. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the two trains ran into each other at high speed just before midnight Tuesday, near the town of Tempe in northern Greece. "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," fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a news conference. Rescuers are searching through flattened, burned-out carriages for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in central Greece. Some of the victims were university students, Health Minister Athanasios Plevris said in televised remarks outside the hospital. Karamanlis had pledged to investigate the cause of the incident. Some of the injured were taken to hospitals in Larissa, and at least 150 firefighters and dozens of emergency vehicles were dispatched to the crash site. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. The collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist", he told Skai television. Many of those aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greece's raucous Carnival, officials said. This is called political responsibility.. "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. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". The fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left.". Local media said the train left Athens around 7.30 pm local time on Tuesday. 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. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. Another two people have been detained for questioning. At least 32 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured after two trains collided in Greece. Fire service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said the evacuation was being carried out under very difficult conditions. A local TV channel reported that some people were still trapped earlier in the morning. Pic: AP, Aerials in daylight show extent of train crash in Greece. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. At least 32 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured after two trains collided in Greece. Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage, said: "We heard a big bang. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. Is it more dangerous than the old one? He said it was a terrible night. In these 3.5 years, we have made every effort to improve this reality, he said as he announced his resignation. 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. Television footage showed derailed carriages with cargo containers flipped over and crash debris strewn across a nearby road. She told me were on fire. 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.. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. "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. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained as of Wednesday morning. Hospital units used to treat burn victims in the area were alerted and dozens of ambulances dispatched to the scene. A passenger train and a freight train collided in northern Greece, killing at least 32 people and injuring 85 others as plumes of smoke filled the night sky. An aerial view after a train collision in northern Greece that killed at least 32 people. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropolou said she would cut short a visit to Moldovato return to Greece following the collision. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos saidthe two trains hurtled towards each other on the same track. We just heard a bang the (train) car started spinning, before ending up sideways when we managed to exit, one passenger told Greek public broadcaster ERT, per CNN. An intercity passenger train collided at high speed with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa. Thessaloniki has a large student population. Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 80 miles to the north. Rail operator hellenic train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs services. Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people screaming people. Big bang right and left several cars derailed return to Greece following the collision return to Greece following the.. 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