Greece Train Crash: Worst train accident in Greek history
At least 32 people were killed and more than 80 injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Greece.
Several wagons caught fire. The accident happened about 350 kilometers north of Athens.
According to rescue workers, at least 32 people died and more than 80 were injured in a train accident in Greece. A collision between a passenger train and a freight train occurred on the route between Athens and Thessaloniki. Several wagons derailed and some caught fire.
Fire department spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis said the search for survivors was continuing. The evacuation of passengers takes place in very difficult conditions, since the collision of the two trains was very serious. “Most of the injured have head injuries, broken pelvises, arms and legs. Unfortunately, there are numerous people who are still in the rubble,” a member of a rescue team told reporters at the scene.
Panic in the wagons
According to the governor of the Thessaly region, Konstantinos Agorastos, the two trains collided head-on. The first two wagons were “almost completely destroyed” by the impact.
Several derailed wagons with broken windows and thick clouds of smoke were seen on TV. Debris lay on the street. In the wagons, rescue workers searched for trapped passengers with torches. A total of 150 emergency services and 40 ambulances have been deployed so far. Cranes were also sent to the scene of the accident.
“There was panic in the wagons, people were screaming,” said a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge. About 250 passengers were brought to Thessaloniki by bus, said Governor Agorastos. Greek media speak of the “worst train accident in the history of the country”.
Route modernized in recent years
The accident happened just before midnight on the busiest Greek railway line near the city of Larissa. According to the Greek railway company, there were about 350 passengers and 20 railway workers in the passenger train. The train, the Intercity 62, started at 7:22 p.m. in Athens towards Thessaloniki.
The cause of the accident is still unclear. The railway chief responsible for the affected Athens-Thessaloniki route had been arrested, reported state television. The route has been modernized in recent years. The Greek railways (Hellenic Train) are operated by the Italian state railway Ferroviaria dello Stato Italiano (FS).
Traffic control problems
Railway workers said on the Greek broadcaster Real FM that, despite the modernization, there were significant problems with the electrical coordination of traffic control. “We’re driving from one section of the line to another by radio like in the old days. The station managers give us the green light,” said Kostas Genidounias, president of the train drivers’ union on state radio. He was unable to say why this is happening and why no modern control system works.
