Train Collision In Greece Claims At Least 32 Lives
On early Wednesday (1 Mar), a train collision took place in northern Greece, killing 32 passengers and leaving roughly 85 others injured.
Source: AP News
The evacuation process is currently ongoing. Authorities remain on site to update the Greek Prime Minister on ongoing developments.
A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train
According to Reuters, the head-on train collision took place between a passenger train and a cargo train in northern Greece.
Rail operator Hellenic Train noted that the passenger train was travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, with around 350 passengers on board.
Meanwhile, the cargo train was heading in the opposite direction, from Thessaloniki to Larissa.
The collision, which occurred near Tempe, derailed multiple carriages, noted The Associated Press (AP). At least three of them reportedly burst into flames.
Source: AP News
According to AP, the impact of the collision threw several passengers out of the carriage windows. When the train buckled, a few others fought to free themselves, including a teenager who told Greek reporters that he used a bag to break the window of his carriage to escape.
Evacuation operations ongoing
A spokesperson from the Fire Brigade shared in a press conference that they had mobilised 40 firefighters and 17 vehicles.
Proto Thema also reported that the following groups of emergency services were deployed to the scene of the accident:
- strong police forces
- special disaster management team or 8th EMAK
- Larissa Fire Service
- 30 emergency care or EKAV ambulances
- doctors from Larissa, Volos & Thessaloniki
In addition, the Larissa University Hospital is on duty for the tragic collision. The authorities also reportedly ordered the emergency rooms at Larissa General Hospital and the Katerinis Hospital to remain open to potentially receive victims.
They additionally provided buses to transport unhurt survivors away from the accident scene.
Despite prompt efforts to attend to the accident, the Fire Chief noted that the process of freeing people is ongoing “under very difficult conditions, due to the severity of the collision between the two trains”.
This is a developing story. We’ll update once more information is available.
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Featured image adapted from AP News.
