At least 32 people have been killed and 85 injured after two trains collided near the town of Tempe in central Greece, the fire brigade said, The Guardian reported.
The two trains – a passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa, collided head-on outside the central Greek city, Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the Thessaly region, told local media.
“The collision was very strong,” he said, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were “almost completely destroyed”.
Agorastos said about 194 passengers were evacuated safely to Thessaloniki on buses.
Police and fire and rescue workers were still working at the scene, the Fire Brigade said in a statement shortly before 5.30 am.
Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flame after the collision about 380 kilometers north of Athens. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries.
Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board when the collision occurred, The Guardian reported.
Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows amid thick plumes of smoke, as well as debris strewn across the road. Rescue workers were seen carrying torches in carriages looking for trapped passengers.
Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks.
“There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming,” a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV.
“We just heard a bang… the (train) car started spinning, before ending up sideways when we managed to exit,” another passenger told ERT, Greece’s public broadcaster.
“It was 10 nightmarish seconds with fire, you couldn’t see much from the smoke,” another passenger said.
A passenger interviewed by Protothema newspaper said, “I wasn’t hurt but I was stained with blood from other people who were hurt near me.”
Speaking to Greek media, a teenager said that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape, according to The Guardian.
Relatives of passengers had gathered in Thessaloniki hoping to see their loved ones disembark from the buses, local media reported.
The passenger train departed Athens around 19.30 local time (17.30 GMT). The fire brigade said it was informed of the accident shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
The passenger train is operated by the Italian group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, which according to its website is the main provider of rail transport for passengers and freight in Greece and runs 342 passenger and commercial routes a day.
