A passenger train collided with a freight train in Greece just before midnight on Feb. 28, killing 29 and injuring at least 85 people, authorities say.
A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. The force of the collision caused multiple cars to derail with at least two cars “almost completely destroyed” by fire, Gov. Costas Agorastos stated, according to Reuters.
Twenty-six people were killed and at least 85 injured after two trains collided head-on in Greece late on Tuesday, the fire brigade said, while the circumstances of the crash remained unclear https://t.co/VVSW6iP2tJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 1, 2023
“The front section of the train was smashed. … We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There’s debris flung all around the crash site,” Agorastos continued, according to the Associated Press. (RELATED: Amtrak Train Derails After Hitting Truck, Police Say At Least Three Dead)
Hospital officials say at least 60 people are injured after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece. https://t.co/Lcf9kvjmJR pic.twitter.com/i3FvRIYu1J
— ABC News (@ABC) March 1, 2023
Though no cause for the collision has been revealed, an unnamed surviving passenger told the AP he felt strong braking and saw sparks before the train came to a sudden stop. “Our carriage didn’t derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed,” he told the outlet. The passenger noted he was in the fourth car and used a bag to break out a window to escape the train.
As of this writing, the rescue operation is ongoing with approximately 150 firefighters with 17 vehicles and 40 ambulances engaged in the effort, CNN reported.
“The evacuation of passengers is under way in very difficult conditions given the severity of the collision of the two trains,” fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis stated, according to The Telegraph.
Those who suffered minor injuries in the wreck or were unharmed, were transported by bus 80 miles north of the site to Thessaloniki, the AP reported. Those with more serious injuries, some of them suffering burns, were treated at nearby hospitals, the outlet stated.