At least 40 people are understood to have died and at least 86 have been left injured after a horrific train collision in Greece, the Mirror reports. The crash took place just before midnight yesterday evening, near the town of Tempi, when the intercity passenger service from Athens to Thessaloniki smashed into a freight train.
Rail operator Hellenic Trains said 350 people were on board and efforts to rescue those trapped at the scene have continued overnight under very difficult conditions. Photographs from what's been described as the nation's worst ever rail disaster show the train derailed and laying on its side, while witnesses spoke of a fierce fire breaking out on one of the carriages almost immediately after impact.
Initial reports suggest the two trains may have been travelling along the same track at fast speed with the impact of the crash understood to have been so strong that the front carriages of each train were almost completely pulverised. A huge emergency response continued late into the night as cranes and rescuers sporting headlamps were seen pulling away large chunks of destroyed metal from the wreckage as they searched for survivors.
At least 86 civilians including children have been confirmed injured after the freak accident, with 25 of these believed to be serious. Cops and the armed forces have joined firefighters at the scene, as the mercy crews continued their search along the train for more victims, with dozens of ambulances being used to take the injured to nearby hospitals.
One survivor gave a distressed account of people in carriages further down "screaming and breaking windows" while the train tipped over. A teen survivor told reporters he felt a harsh braking and saw sparks on the train before it came to a sudden halt.
Another 270 people who suffered only minor injuries or were left unharmed have been taken by bus to Thessaloniki, which is located around 80 miles north of the crash site. Groups of worried relatives have been waiting in hope for their loved ones to leave on a bus with some heading to hospitals in the area if they could not trace them.
A statement from Hellenic Trains said: "At Evangelismos there was a head-on collision between two trains: a freight train and train IC 62 which had departed from Athens to Thessaloniki. About 350 passengers were on board at the time of the collision. Firefighters and Hellenic Train staff rushed to the scene, participating in rescue operations and providing assistance to travelers."
Greece's Minister of Health Thanos Pleuris is visiting hospitals that have taken in victims from the crash, while the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport Giannis Xifaras is to travel to the site of the collision.
Kostas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told local television that the crash was "very powerful" and that it had been "a terrible night". He added: “We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars".
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been informed of the fatal incident and a planned visit to Thessaloniki which was to take place on Thursday has been cancelled. Train services in the area have been hugely impacted this morning with multiple cancellations and lines closed.
On Tuesday, at least two breakdowns had been reported on the Greek railway network in addition to many ongoing problems with signalling and ageing infrastructure. Two rail officials were interviewed by police in the hours that followed the crash but have not been detained.
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