Patrick Quinn and David Rising contributed to this story from Bangkok. Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said earlier that the two trains had been running in opposite directions on the same track for "several kilometers.". 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. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The crash killed at least 26 people and injured at least 85 people. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. March 1, 2023 11.14am. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. The collision between freight and passenger trains occurred some 235 miles north of Athens and left several cars derailed. At least 36 people have been killed and dozens injured after two trains crashed head-on at high speed in Greece. Were working to restore it. Greek transport minister resigns after deadly crash between passenger train and freight train | CBC News Loaded. 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. "I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones or suffered in this disaster.". Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. We are pulling out people alive, injured there are dead.". There were many big pieces of steel, he said. Some of the passenger carriages exploded in flames from the impact. Some victims were found up to 40 metres away. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision of the passenger train and a freight train a horrific rail accident without precedent in our country, and pledged a full, independent investigation. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said she was cutting short a visit to Moldova to return to Greece. "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. First published on February 28, 2023 / 9:00 PM. Gogakos said the crash felt like an explosion, and some smoke entered the carriage. Pic: AP, Aerials in daylight show extent of train crash in Greece. 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? "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. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". ", "The front section of the train was smashed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. Opinion: We are in a new cold war. 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. "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. Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. AFP cited Greek emergency services as saying roughly 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances had responded. 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, Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service, told the AP. Visiting the crash scene, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. Agorastor told SKAI TV the two trains collided head on the passenger train travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. Why, with todays technology that has existed for many years, should so many lives hang on a human hand?. Officials said this included university students returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. Residents of Larissa lined up to donate blood. 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. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained. Greece's firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. They are in very bad condition. Please try again later. The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. 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. There was a fire in the first cars and complete panic. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. At least 32 people have been killed and 85 others injured in a train collision in central Greece. "The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.". 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 like an earthquake, Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT. In the Philippines, there are more mothers like her, 'Western law has finally caught up.' Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece. For the most part, we are mourning young people. At least 66 of those injured were still hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, as of 10 a.m. local time. After sunrise, rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. 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. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who might be missing. Government officials said the army has been asked to help with the rescue. He used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. 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. She told me were on fire. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. 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. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights in the hours before dawn on Wednesday as they searched through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. A train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. Agorastos described the collision on state television as "very powerful" and said it was "a terrible night. 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. Credit:AP. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. A passenger named Lazos told the newspaper Proto Thema that the experience had been very shocking. Why did Twitter suspend Sen. Mike Lees personal account? Our country is experiencing an unspeakable tragedy, and we are all facing the huge question of why, he told journalists there, according to Kathimerini. The fire brigade said it was informed of the accident shortly before midnight. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. A 1968 train collision in the ancient coastal city of Corinth killed at least 34 people and injured dozens. "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. 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 teenage survivor who did not give his name saidhe had used a bag to break open the window of his carriage and escape. Another passenger car appeared to be mangled as a crane slowly began lifting it. COSTAS KANTOURIS and NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. "This is a terrible night," Mr Agorastos had earlier told state-run television. He said it appears the crash was "mainly due to a tragic human error.. Nearly 30 people were killed and 85 people were injured after a freight and passenger train collided with each other in Greece. To be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the trains, revealing more bodies dismembered... 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