At least 26 dead in train collision


BAt least 26 people died in a serious train accident in Greece on Wednesday night. A spokesman for the fire brigade also said on state television that 85 people were injured when a freight train collided with a passenger train, some of them seriously. “The search and rescue operation is ongoing. Even with heavy equipment, ”said the spokesman. According to state television, there were 350 travelers and 20 railway workers on board the trains.

No details were available from official sources about the circumstances of the accident. According to the first information from railway workers, a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train coming from the opposite direction. The first three carriages of the passenger train were smashed, eyewitnesses said. Greek television showed videos from the scene of the accident near Tempi in central Greece. Firefighters and rescue workers tried to find survivors in the rubble. “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.

Fire after collision

A survivor said fire broke out on the passenger train after the collision. “There was chaos and a roar from hell,” he added on state television. “We smashed the window panes with our suitcases and groped our way out of our wagon in the dark,” said a young man. The train had left Athens and was bound for Thessaloniki, other survivors said.

The route that connects Athens with the northern Greek port city had been modernized in recent years. The Greek railways (Hellenic Train) are operated by the Italian state railway Ferroviaria dello Stato Italiano (FS). Railway workers said on the Greek broadcaster Real FM that, despite the modernization, there were significant problems with the electrical coordination of traffic control.



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