The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. The government declared three days of national mourning until Friday, with flags flying at half-mast in a tribute to the victims. There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming, a young man who was evacuated under a nearby bridge told SKAI TV. Greece's ageing railway system is in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems still 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. The impact caused a fire in a number of the passenger carriages, burning many commuters who were rushed to hospitals. 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. 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. "We are living through a tragedy. Authorities set up a hotline for relatives of passengers seeking information on family members. 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 stationmaster was arrested in Larissa in connection to the crash and two others were brought in for questions, The Associated Press reported. 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. There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming, a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV. A volunteer rescue worker told ERT those on the scene were "living through a tragedy". Tuesday, February 28, 2023, NEW: Its not polite to pretend boys can be girls, SCOTUS takes on Bidens student debt agenda. "It was like an earthquake," Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told state broadcaster ERT. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometres north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. He said it appears the crash was "mainly due to a tragic human error.. The passenger train was en route from Athens to Thessaloniki with 342 passengers and a crew of 10. The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights before dawn on Wednesday as they searched frantically through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Credit:AP. 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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. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou cut short a visit to Moldova and traveled to the crash site, where she laid white flowers among the wreckage, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Rescue workers with high-powered torches were searching through the wreckage for trapped passengers. 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students coming back from their holidays, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train. In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, said the collision was very strong, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were almost completely destroyed. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. Some victims were found up to 40 metres away. At least 32 people have been killed and 85 others injured in a train collision in central Greece. Fire service officials said 36 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. All Rights Reserved, Stationmaster arrested in connection to Greece train crash that killed at least 36. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. A drone video shows plumes of smoke rising from derailed cars after two trains collided near the city of Larissa in northern Greece on March 1. More than 200 people who were unharmed or suffered minor injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights in the hours before dawn on Wednesday as they searched through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Greece's firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. March 1, 2023 11.14am. 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. 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. Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. 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. "We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos saidthe two trains hurtled towards each other on the same track. Its very difficult what we are going through today as a country, he told reporters. The cargo train had been travelling from Thessaloniki to Larissa. "Our carriage didn't derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed," he said, visibly shaken. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. The crash killed at least 26 people and injured at least 85 people. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights before dawn Wednesday as they searched frantically through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. 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. Rail operator Hellenic Train expressed "its deep sorrow for the tragic accident" and said the passenger train had about 350 people on board. We are living through a tragedy. A teenage survivor who didn't give his name to reporters said that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks, then there was a sudden stop. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. "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.". The pontiff sends the assurance of his prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy, the message said. "This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. The crash killed at least 26 people and injured at least 85 people. 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. Sixty-six of the 85 injured people were hospitalised, with six of those in intensive care, a fire brigade official said. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. At least 36 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a train collision in central Greece. "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," he said. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. We are talking about an unspeakable tragedy. Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said earlier that the two trains had been running in opposite directions on the same track for "several kilometers.". After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. 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. He said it was a terrible night. 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. "The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.". 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. Multiple cars derailed and at least one burst into flames. Two carriages of train in 'nightmare' crash 'no longer exist' - follow live updates. 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 Tuesday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday. In the morning, cranes were lifting derailed carriages, as rescuers scoured through the wreckage. March 1, 2023 11.14am. They are in very bad condition. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. "They were travelling at great speed and one (driver) didn't know the other was coming," he said. A teenage survivor who did not give his name told reporters that just before the crash he felt a strong braking and saw sparks then there was a sudden stop. - 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. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. 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. "This is a terrible night," Mr Agorastos had earlier told state-run television. ", "It was a nightmare. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. AFP cited Greek emergency services as saying roughly 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances had responded. Now it's set for an overhaul. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas. 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. 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.. Officials said this included university students returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. "Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. Rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of wreckage, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. Many of the victims were thought to be university students. The crash took place outside the central city of Larissa late on Tuesday, when a passenger train heading from the capital, Athens, to Thessaloniki collided with a cargo train travelling from the northern city. At least 16 people have been killed and dozens injured after a head-on collision between a passenger and cargo train in Greece. The front section of the train was smashed. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". The pain is unspeakable, he said. Man survives month lost in Amazon by eating insects, drinking urine. 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. "We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides then there was panic, cables [everywhere], fire. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. Our country is experiencing an unspeakable tragedy, and we are all facing the huge question of why, he told journalists there, according to Kathimerini. This year was the first time the three-day festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. "There's debris flung all over the crash site.". The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. Police said several carriages came off the rails, with at least three of them catching fire. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained. The region's governor said the collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist". Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. 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. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows due to the impact. 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. 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. "The 59-year-old station master was arrested," AFP quoted a local police spokesperson as saying, adding that charges would be announced later in the day, but providing no information on what those charges might be. 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