Trains collide in Greece: 32 dead and dozens seriously injured | Abroad

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01 Mar 2023 at 05:32 Update: 35 minutes ago

At least 32 people have been killed and 85 injured in a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece. 53 of them are seriously injured. Rescue workers tell Greek television that they are removing more dead from the wagons in addition to survivors.

The collision between a freight train and a passenger train happened outside Larissa just before midnight on Tuesday. That city is located more than 300 kilometers north of the capital Athens. The passenger train carried about 350 people to the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki.

Several carriages derailed and caught fire. According to the regional governor, there is so little left of the front two wagons of the passenger train that they are “no longer visible”.

Rescue workers use cranes and other heavy equipment to lift the derailed wagons to search for survivors and victims. About 250 passengers were evacuated by bus to Thessaloniki.

The cause of the collision has not yet been determined. The official responsible for the stretch where the accident took place has been arrested, Greek state television reports.

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Modernized track still had serious problems

Omroep Skai showed images of derailed, destroyed train carriages, over which thick plumes of smoke hung. Seventeen vehicles were used by firefighters to extinguish the fire, which succeeded in the course of the night. Rescue operations are still underway, the fire service said.

The stretch between Athens and Thessaloniki, on which the accident occurred, has been modernized in recent years. Railway workers told Greek broadcaster Real FM that despite the modernization there were significant problems with the electrical coordination of traffic control. In 1972, a similar collision took place near Larissa, resulting in nineteen deaths.

Greece’s railways are operated by the Italian state rail company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS).

Show Only PictureShow Only PictureDeadly train disaster in Greece

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