85 injured in head-on train collision in Greece; under investigation.
According to the governor of the Thessaly area. a passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki in the north collided with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa in central Greece.
Governor Konstantinos Agorastos stated to SKAI TV that “the collision was really strong” and added that the first four passenger train carriages had derailed.
According to Agorastos, the first two carriages were “nearly completely wrecked” following the crash and caught fire.
Buses carrying about 250 people were used to transport them securely to Thessaloniki. One traveller said that by smashing the train window with his suitcase. he was able to escape, according to state television ERT.
A young man who was taken to a neighbouring bridge during an evacuation told SKAI TV that “there was fear in the train, people were yelling.”
Another passenger, Angelos Tsiamouras, told ERT that it “felt like an earthquake.”
The television station SKAI aired footage of derailed carriages that were heavily damaged, had smashed windows, and were spewing huge plumes of smoke. There was also roadside debris. Rescue personnel were spotted searching for stranded people on carriages while carrying torches.
Details:
According to Vassilis Varthakogiannis, a spokesperson for the fire department, “the evacuation of passengers is under progress under very difficult conditions given the severity of the two trains’ accident.”
Rescuers were seen searching the debris and nearby fields for survivors in the early hours of Wednesday in footage from the public broadcaster ERT.
The passenger train left Athens at around 19:30 local time, according to local media, carrying about 350 passengers (0530 GMT). The fire brigade said that it was briefed on the event before
Over 350 passengers boarded the passenger train. which left Athens at about 19:30 local time, according to local media (0530 GMT).
The collision was reported to the fire department just before Tuesday’s midnight, according to that organisation. Thessaloniki to Larissa was the destination of the cargo train.
The Italian company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, which according to its website is the primary provider of rail transport for people and freight in Greece and operates 342. passenger and commercial routes per day, is in charge of operating the passenger train.
