The region's governor said the collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist". 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. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant area near the front of the passenger train. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near a gorge about 235 miles north of Athens. Police said the 59-year-old stationmaster in Larissa was arrested, and a further two people detained for questioning. ", 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. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. Rail operator Hellenic Train expressed "its deep sorrow for the tragic accident" and said the passenger train had about 350 people on board. Updated on: March 1, 2023 / 9:20 AM In the Philippines, there are more mothers like her, 'Western law has finally caught up.' Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Patrick Quinn and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this story. 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. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained as of Wednesday morning. Theres debris flung all around the crash site.. I wasnt hurt but I was stained with blood from other people who were hurt near me, he said. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. A picture taken with a drone shows firefighters and rescue crews working to extricate passengers from trains after a collision near Larissa city, Greece. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis office announced a three-day national mourning period. Greece had the highest overall railway fatality rate among 29 countries studied in a 2022 safety report by the European Union Agency for Railways, as well as the seventh-highest passenger fatality rate. After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. Railway safety in Greece has come under scrutiny in recent years, and the accident late Tuesday is the countrys deadliest, according to local media. 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. There are 20 to 25 people still missing, so the death toll from the collision could change, according to the BBC. Why did Twitter suspend Sen. Mike Lees personal account? 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 many of the passengers on the Athens to Thessaloniki train were university students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. The stationmaster was arrested in Larissa in connection to the crash and two others were brought in for questions, The Associated Press reported. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. (Video: The Washington Post). Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to 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. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. 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. A passenger train collided with a freight train in Greece just before midnight on Feb. 28, killing 29 and injuring at least 85 people, authorities say. Many of the victims were thought to be university students. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision just before midnight Tuesday near the town of Tempe as the passenger train was emerging from a highway underpass. "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 40 passengers had been taken to hospital with injuries, while about 250 were evacuated to Thessaloniki on buses. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometresto the north. The crash killed at least 26 people and injured at least 85 people. Wed Mar 1 2023 - 06:16. The wagon started to spin and then it ended up on its side and we got out. 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. One passenger told state broadcaster ERT: "There was fire next to us. At least 36 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a train collision in central Greece. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. He said he was taking responsibility for "long-standing failures" in the country's transport network. 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"We are living through a tragedy. The crash killed at least 36 people and injured at least 85 people. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. A police statement identified the person arrestedonly as a 59-year-old man. The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. 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. Man survives month lost in Amazon by eating insects, drinking urine. The collision between freight and passenger trains occurred some 235 miles north of Athens and left several cars derailed. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the trains rear cars as he arrived. The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remained unclear. 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. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai Television the two trains collided head on at high speed. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. The whole of Europe is mourning with you, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet Wednesday. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Sources: Hellenic Fire Service, Geodata.gov.gr. On Wednesday, rescuers turned to cranes and other heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. 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. 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. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. Authorities set up a hotline for relatives of passengers seeking information on family members. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. 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. 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. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. By Sunita Patel-Carstairs and Sharon Marris, news reporters, Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. 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. 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. 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. Many of the passengers were students returning to Thessaloniki from Carnival, but officials said but no detailed passenger list was available. 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. "They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were.". Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. At least 32 people have been killed and 85 others injured in a train collision in central Greece. The cause of the collision is unknown pending further investigation, but Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the Greek government would do everything it can to find out what caused the crash. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos saidthe two trains hurtled towards each other on the same track. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. 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