A Catastrophic Train Disaster In Northern Greece Left 32 People Dead And 85 Wounded

Officials said on Wednesday that 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured after a passenger train carrying hundreds of passengers crashed violently with an approaching freight train in northern Greece. After the crash near the town of Tempe on Tuesday shortly before midnight, several automobiles came to rest in a derailed state, and at least three of them caught fire. Rescue workers reported numerous passengers were pushed out the windows of the railway carriages as a result of the accident as they hurriedly searched the mangled, burning debris for survivors before daybreak on Wednesday. They said that after the passenger train derailed and crashed into a field close to the lines in a canyon some 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, others struggled to escape, where significant highway and rail tunnels are located. One of the first on the site and a nearby citizen named Vassilis Polyzos claimed, "There were numerous enormous pieces of steel." "All trains, both passenger and freight, were utterly wrecked." He claimed that as he approached, confused and dazed passengers were making their way out of the train's back cars. They were understandably frightened—very frightened, he claimed. They were seeking and circling about because they were lost. The Valley of Tempe, a ravine dividing Thessaly and Macedonia, is where the trains collided. The two trains collided head-on at a high rate of speed, according to Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly region, who spoke to Greece's Skai television.

"Carriages 1 and 2 are no longer in service, and the third has derailed,"  he said. In the dense smoke, rescuers using flashlights searched for trapped persons by removing twisted metal from the automobiles. Using spotlights, others searched the area around the wreckage. It's thought that a few of the deceased were discovered in the dining car, which was close to the front of the passenger train.At least 25 of those harmed, according to hospital officials in the adjacent city of Larissa, suffered significant injuries. According to Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greece's firefighting department, "the evacuation operation is underway and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the accident between the two trains." There was no apparent indication of what could have caused the incident. Police were questioning two train officials, but they weren't being held. Passengers who had minor injuries or were unhurt were carried by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometres (80 miles) to the north.

As they came, police collected their identities in an effort to find anyone who could be missing. The teen survivor told reporters that shortly prior to the collision, he experienced intense braking and witnessed sparks before coming to an abrupt halt. He remarked, clearly startled, "Our carriage didn't derail, but the ones in front did and were shattered." He said that he used a bag to shatter the glass of his fourth automobile and flee when his first vehicle caught fire. Around 350 people were on board the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, according to rail operator Hellenic Train. On state television, Agorastos called the crash "extremely forceful" and said it was "a dreadful night." The train's front end was severely damaged. The debris is being cleared away, and the train cars are being lifted using cranes and other specialised lifting tools. "The collision scene is littered with debris." According to officials, the army was asked for assistance. The Italian FS Group, which also operates train services in numerous other European nations, operates Greek Train, which just began offering high-speed services.