Many of the approximately 350 people aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greeces raucous Carnival, officials said. Rescuer Lazaros Sarianidis told ERT that crews were very carefully trying to disentangle steel, sheet metal and other material that was twisted together by the crash. "It's tragic. "Temperatures were particularly high, reaching even 1,300 degrees Celsius (about 2,700 Fahrenheit)," Varthakogiannis told journalists. We are living through a tragedy. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. Local media said the train left Athens around 7.30 pm local time on Tuesday. Nigerias Tinubu wins presidential election; opposition cries foul, Greece train collision kills at least 36; station master arrested, Ukraine live briefing: Ukraine marks first day of spring as battle for Bakhmut intensifies. One of the questions investigators need to answer is why the two trains were, according to Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos, running on the same track when they crashed. Passengers speaking to the BBC described hearing a big bang and escaping the fire that engulfed their train immediately after the collision. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. 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Greece's firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. "There was panic the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left. 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 Tuesday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday. "I've never seen anything like this in my entire life," AFP quoted one rescue worker as saying as he emerged from the wreckage. The region's governor said the collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist". Survivors said some passengers were thrown from the train car windows on impact. At least 36 people have been killed and dozens injured after two trains crashed head-on at high speed in Greece. Before dawn the next day, rescuers searched through twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropolou said she would cut short a visit to Moldovato return to Greece following the collision. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early on Wednesday.Credit:AP, We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides [] then there was panic, cables [everywhere] fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burnt, fire was right and left.. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train. The bodies are being transferred to the hospitals of Larissa in order to begin the process of recognition and identification, the Fire Brigade said in a statement, per ABC News. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear carriages as he arrived. Greece's ageing railway system is in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems still to be installed in many areas. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. The good news about egg prices. "The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.". Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights in the hours before dawn on Wednesday as they searched through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Are you on Telegram? Authorities set up a hotline for relatives of passengers seeking information on family members. Passengers who were on board the train from Athens spoke to local media early on Wednesday morning, describing the frenzied scenes in the aftermath of the crash. 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. The fire that raged in the train crash reached temperatures of 1300 degrees Celsius (2372 degrees Fahrenheit), the fire department said in a news release, and the heat from the fire caused delays in rescue and removal operations. Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis has since submitted his resignation over the incident. Gogakos said the crash felt like an explosion, and some smoke entered the carriage. The whole of Europe is mourning with you, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet Wednesday. ", "The front section of the train was smashed. Harry and Meghan reportedly losing their U.K. royal residence. PASSENGERS SAY TRAIN CRASH WAS LIKE AN EXPLOSION. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear cars as he arrived. They were looking around, searching; they didnt know where they were.. He said he was taking responsibility for "long-standing failures" in the country's transport network. Is it more dangerous than the old one? Please try again later. Pope Francis offered his condolences to the families of the dead, in a message sent to the president of the Greek bishops conference on his behalf by the Vaticans secretary of state. The U.S. Embassy in Athens said it was not aware of any American victims, adding that it was deeply saddened by the news of the tragic train collision this morning. Condolences poured in from world leaders, and European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels were lowered to half-staff. An emergency government meeting was organised after the crash and Greek health minister Thanos Plevris went to the scene. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". The wagon started to spin and then it ended up on its side and we got out. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometres north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. Many of the passengers would have been returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. Wed Mar 1 2023 - 06:16. 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. The fire brigade said it was informed of the accident shortly before midnight. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. Were working to restore it. The evacuation of victims was carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service. This is called political responsibility.. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. Wed Mar 1 2023 - 06:16. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming, a young man who was evacuated under a nearby bridge told SKAI TV. The impact caused a fire in a number of the passenger carriages, burning many commuters who were rushed to hospitals. Why did Twitter suspend Sen. Mike Lees personal account? The first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed in the crash, with the first two carriages, which caught fire, almost completely destroyed, Agorastos said. This is an indescribable tragedy, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said, adding that 500 workers from emergency services were at the scene of the crash. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. When something so tragic happens, it is not possible to carry on as if nothing happened. Five hours later, we are finding bodies, an exhausted rescuer said as he emerged from a carriage. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, Marie has been charged with reprehensible crimes. This is his story of survival. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars on impact. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. He said it appears the crash was "mainly due to a tragic human error.. In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, said the collision was very strong, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were almost completely destroyed. I'm still shaking," a22-year-old passenger named Angelos told AFP. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai Television the two trains crashed head on at high speed. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. "Our carriage didn't derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed," he said, visibly shaken. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a news conference. An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News, Interviews and feature reports from SBS News, A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability, Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. 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. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. First published on February 28, 2023 / 9:00 PM. Rescue workers with high-powered torches were searching through the wreckage for trapped passengers. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early on Wednesday. Multiple cars derailed and at least one burst into flames. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. The pontiff sends the assurance of his prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy, the message said. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. AFP cited Greek emergency services as saying roughly 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances had responded. "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. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train. The death toll was expected to rise further, a fire brigade official said. Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos saidthe two trains hurtled towards each other on the same track. At least two train cars appeared to be tipped sideways near the track, while one was severely dented, with gaping windows, as firefighters worked to extricate passengers. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. March 1, 2023 11.14am. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. Why, with todays technology that has existed for many years, should so many lives hang on a human hand?. "There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming," another young man told SKAI TV. We just heard a bang the (train) car started spinning, before ending up sideways when we managed to exit, one passenger told Greek public broadcaster ERT, per CNN. At least 66 of those injured were still hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, as of 10 a.m. local time. The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. While the track is double, both trains were traveling in opposite directions on the same line near the Vale of Tempe, a river valley about 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all that's in our power so that something like this never happens again, Mitsotakis said. We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides then there was panic, cables (everywhere) fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left.. We are talking about an unspeakable tragedy. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. And Meghan reportedly losing their U.K. royal residence rescue workers with high-powered torches were through. 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