(Updated the death toll and gave new details)
Athens, March 1. A collision of two trains north of Larissa, in central Greece, left at least 29 people dead and some 85 injured overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, local authorities reported.
About 350 people and 20 crew members traveled on the two trains, one for passengers and the other for goods, the railway company “Hellenic Train” explained.
The trains collided shortly before local midnight (2200 GMT) near Tempe, a small town in a valley where there is a rail tunnel, about 300 kilometers north of Athens.
Several cars derailed and at least three caught fire in the crash.
Sixty of the injured, 25 of them in serious condition, were taken to hospitals in Larissa, a town some 270 kilometers north of Athens.
The other less seriously injured were transferred to clinics in Katerini and Thessaloniki.
Among the injured are several minors, who were traveling on the night train between Athens and Thessaloniki, the country’s two main urban centres.
According to the local press, everything indicates that the trains – both operated by “Hellenic Train” – were traveling at high speed at the time of the impact, which is why the respective drivers and other crew members died in the accident.
Some 250 people who survived the accident and who are unharmed or slightly injured were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, located 130 kilometers north of the accident.
Rescue teams, including some 150 firefighters, are continuing their work to free passengers trapped in the carriages, and there are fears that the toll will rise.
Several members of the Greek government were in the early hours of Wednesday on their way to the places and to the hospitals where the injured were admitted.
“The evacuation process is underway and is taking place under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision,” said a fire department spokesperson.
A journalist sent to the scene of the accident spoke on a station of “apocalyptic” scenes.
Due to the severity of the collision, the wreckage of both trains was thrown a great distance.
Early estimates point to human error with the two trains running on the same track.
Thessaly regional governor Kostas Agorastos told ERT that the two trains were on the same track at the time of the collision.
However, it is also possible that one of the trains derailed and overran the other track where it collided with the convoy, private broadcaster SKAI TV said. EFE
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