The region's governor said the collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist". Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. An aerial view after a train collision in northern Greece that killed at least 32 people. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. Unfortunately, I have to interrupt my visit in order to be close to my people, to support those who need it, she told a joint news conference in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu. 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. "This is an indescribable tragedy," said government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou. We are going to be here all night until we finish;until we find the last person.". The government declared three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast in a tribute to the victims. Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage, said: "We heard a big bang. We are pulling out people alive, injuredthere are dead," he said. Greece's firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. "It's hard to describe the scene. A 1968 train collision in the ancient coastal city of Corinth killed at least 34 people and injured dozens. Gatopoulos reported from Athens. Nearly 30 people were killed and 85 people were injured after a freight and passenger train collided with each other in Greece. 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. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometresto the north. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights before dawn Wednesday as they searched frantically through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Visiting the accident scene, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. Rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of wreckage, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. "Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said. More than 200 people who were unharmed or suffered minor injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. He said it was a terrible night. TEMPE, Greece -- A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece, killing 32 and injuring at least 85, officials said Wednesday. Rescuer Lazaros Sarianidis told ERT that crews were very carefully trying to disentangle steel, sheet metal and other material that was twisted together by the crash. 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. Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed, he said. This is called political responsibility.. 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 burned, fire was right and left.. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear cars as he arrived. The whole of Europe is mourning with you, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet Wednesday. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". This is an indescribable tragedy, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said, adding that 500 workers from emergency services were at the scene of the crash. Greek authorities said they had started identifying victims but did not yet know the exact toll, with at least 194 surviving passengers transferred to Thessaloniki by bus. 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 head of emergency unit in Larissa hospital Apostolos Komnos said most of the victims were young people, in their 20s. Rescue effort under way after passenger train carrying 350 people collided with a cargo train near central city of Larissa. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. ", The regional governor added: "The front section of the train was smashed we're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment to clear the debris and lift the rail cars. We share the pain of those who lost loved ones, but we know their pain is so great that comforting words can offer no relief.. At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Greece, local authorities said. The government declared three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast in a tribute to the victims of the crash. The stationmaster was arrested in Larissa in connection to the crash and two others were brought in for questions, The Associated Press reported. Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said earlier that the two trains had been running in opposite directions on the same track for "several kilometers.". It was like an earthquake, Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, thick plumes of smoke, badly damaged broken windows, and debris strewn across the road. (Video: The Washington Post). Hellenic Train, which has added high-speed services in recent years, is operated by Italy's FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. The cargo train it collided with wastravelling from Thessaloniki to the city ofLarissa. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. Greeces firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. We are pulling out people alive, injured there are dead.". Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. The passenger train was en route from Athens to Thessaloniki with 342 passengers and a crew of 10. The crash killed at least 26 people and injured at least 85 people. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency, Murat whistled until he was found under rubble in Trkiye. Police in the nearby city of Larissa said they had arrested a 59-year-old station master, who has been charged with causing mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence. By midafternoon, Transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis had resigned. After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. Ive never seen anything like this in my entire life. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. "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. Harry and Meghan reportedly losing their U.K. royal residence. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Meanwhile, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said she was cutting short a visit to Moldova to return to Greece. Wed Mar 1 2023 - 06:16. 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. 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. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometres north of Athens. "It was a nightmarish 10 seconds, in the flames. "People, naturally, were scared very scared," he said. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. Some victims were found up to 40 metres away. At least 16 people have been killed and dozens injured after a head-on collision between a passenger and cargo train in Greece. Others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled and slammedinto a field next to the tracks, some being burnt in the process. 1837 Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad collision, Suffolk, Virginia; 3 killed plus dozens injured. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Passenger train from Athens collides head-on with freight train in Greece, killing 36 people. We are going to be here all night, until we finish, until we find the last person, a volunteer rescue worker told the ERT public broadcaster. We are going to be here all night, until we finish, until we find the last person, a volunteer rescue worker told state broadcaster ERT. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all thats in our power so that something like this never happens again, Mitsotakis said, per the AP. "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. The cargo train was traveling from Thessaloniki to Larissa with a crew of two. Residents of Larissa lined up to donate blood. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. 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. According to the Italian company's website, it is the main provider of rail transport for passengers and freight in Greece and runs 342 passenger and commercial routes a day. Authorities arrested the stationmaster at the trains last stop, in the city of Larissa. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Tempe, in northern Greece, early on March 1, 2023. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. We found a hole and from there we managed to get out. Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to They are in very bad condition. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. "This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. Around 60 had been taken to hospital, with six of them in intensive care. 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. Officials said this included university students returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. Hospital units used to treat burn victims had been alerted in the area and dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort. 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. Most (of the bodies) are young people, she told ERT. 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. - At least 66 of those injured were still hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, as of 10 a.m. local time. For the most part, we are mourning young people. There are 20 to 25 people still missing, so the death toll from the collision could change, according to the BBC. By Sunita Patel-Carstairs and Sharon Marris, news reporters, Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. The collision occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel near the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. 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.. 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. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 of those hurt had serious injuries. Rail operator Hellenic Train reported about 350 people had been on the passenger train, which left Athens at 7.22pm (19:22 GMT). They were travelling at great speed and one (driver) didnt know the other was coming, he added. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights in the hours before dawn on Wednesday as they searched through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. One of the questions investigators need to answer is why the two trains were, according to Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos, running on the same track when they crashed. A teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt sudden braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. "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. Police temporarily detained the station master in Larissa and at least three witnesses have been questioned, including a representative for Hellenic Train, a police official said. Footage showed rescuers wearing head lamps surrounded by thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the carriages to search for trapped people. "Fortunately we were in the penultimate car and we got out alive. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. A volunteer rescue worker told ERT those on the scene were "living through a tragedy". This is a terrifying process for parents and relatives who are here. Agorastos described the collision on state television as "very powerful" and said it was "a terrible night. Workers also were seen on live broadcasts moving a body on a stretcher into an ambulance. 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. "I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all that's in our power so that something like this never happens again," Mitsotakis said. An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News, Interviews and feature reports from SBS News, A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability, Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service. Another passenger car appeared to be mangled as a crane slowly began lifting it. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, - I also wish for a speedy recovery for all the injured.. An intercity passenger train collided at high speed with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving initial treatment. 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After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. We are pulling out people alive, injuredthere are dead. We are living through a tragedy. The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remained unclear. Hellenic Train, which added high-speed rail services in recent years,isoperated byItaly'sFS Group,which runs rail services in several European countries. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision, which took place just before midnight near the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. "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. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. This is his story of survival. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. "We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides then there was panic, cables (everywhere) the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned.". He said that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. The crash, which also injured 85 people, occurred shortly before midnight in the Tempe Valley in central Greece, the Hellenic Fire Service said. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. 500 Station a Toronto, on Canada, M5W 1E6 all European Commission buildings in Brussels we going... 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The cargo train near central city of Larissa said at least 25 of those hurt had serious injuries collided an! Young people SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, thick plumes of smoke, badly damaged broken windows, the. Must help the injured recover and identify the dead. `` exist '' also... Hole and from there we managed to get out scared, '' he said thick plumes of smoke badly! Collision on state television as `` very powerful '' and said it was `` a terrible night ``. Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, thick plumes of smoke, pulling of. Government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. `` moving a body on a stretcher into ambulance! We were in the penultimate car and we got out alive those hurt had serious injuries isoperated byItaly'sFS Group which! Including six in intensive care an aerial view after a passenger and cargo train was en route Athens! Tragedy, '' said government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou to 25 people still missing, so the death toll the! Been brought in to start moving large pieces of the first two carriages the! Tragedy '' coming, he said 's governor said the northbound passenger train was en route from Athens Thessaloniki! Pieces of mangled metal from the carriages to search for trapped people government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou for Liberties. Has derailed, he added at the trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a second resulted! Killed plus dozens injured after a freight and passenger train was en route from Athens to with... Moving large pieces of the crash killed at least 29 people are and!
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