passenger train crash

A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring at least 85, fire officials said. "We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides then there was panic, cables (everywhere) the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned.". While the cause of Tuesday's collision was not immediately clear, Greece's ageing railway system has long been in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems yet to be installed in many areas. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. After sunrise, one of the remaining passenger carriages could be seen resting on its side at an almost 90-degree angle from the rest of the train. Survivors said some passengers were thrown from the train car windows on impact. We are going to be here all night, until we finish, until we find the last person, a volunteer rescue worker told the ERT public broadcaster. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. Many of the passengers were students returning to Thessaloniki from Carnival, but officials said but no detailed passenger list was available. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. He said 40 passengers had been taken to hospital with injuries, while about 250 were evacuated to Thessaloniki on buses. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesperson for Greece's firefighting service. My head hit the roof of the carriage with the jolt," Stefanos Gogakos, who was in a rear car, told state broadcaster ERT. Karamanlis said the Greek railway system was not up to 21st-century standards when he took office. Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece. After sunrise, rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains. Rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of wreckage, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. On Wednesday, the government declared three days of national mourning. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. Passengers speaking to the BBC described hearing a big bang and escaping the fire that engulfed their train immediately after the collision. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. The festivities had been canceled the previous three years because of the coronavirus pandemic. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained as of Wednesday morning. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant area near the front of the passenger train. In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, said the collision was very strong, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were almost completely destroyed. The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. The crash, which also injured 85 people, occurred shortly before midnight in the Tempe Valley in central Greece, the Hellenic Fire Service said. The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving initial treatment. Derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows and thick plumes of smoke, could be seen on the site. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. The evacuation of victims was carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. A train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. We are pulling out people alive, injured there are dead.". A picture taken with a drone shows firefighters and rescue crews working to extricate passengers from trains after a collision near Larissa city, Greece. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a news conference. The stationmaster in the city of Larissa was arrested, Greek police said Wednesday. Harry and Meghan reportedly losing their U.K. royal residence. One of the questions investigators need to answer is why the two trains were, according to Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos, running on the same track when they crashed. TEMPE, Greece -- Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country's worst-ever rail crash. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring at least 85, fire officials said. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train. Around 60 had been taken to hospital, with six of them in intensive care. The collision was like a huge earthquake.". It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. "They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. We are living through a tragedy. Others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled and slammedinto a field next to the tracks, some being burnt in the process. The crash came after a holiday weekend, in which people across the country don colorful clothing, beat drums and parade through villages before the beginning of Lent. "I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones or suffered in this disaster.". "It's tragic. We are facing an unimaginable tragedy, Sakellaropoulou said in a statement posted to her offices website. March 1, 2023 11.14am. Ambulances from several nearby towns were called in to take injured passengers to hospitals, while rescue workers continued to work in the thick smoke. The cause of the collision is not yet known and is being investigated. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 of those hurt had serious injuries. At least 16 people have been killed and dozens injured after a head-on collision between a passenger and cargo train in Greece. AFP cited Greek emergency services as saying roughly 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances had responded. Pope Francis sent his condolences and passed along blessings to those injured and to emergency workers, according to the Vaticans news agency. ", "It was a nightmare. "Our carriage didn't derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed," he said, visibly shaken. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. We heard a big bang, (it was) 10 nightmarish seconds, said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage. Police said the 59-year-old stationmaster in Larissa was arrested, and a further two people detained for questioning. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". A 1968 train collision in the ancient coastal city of Corinth killed at least 34 people and injured dozens. "It was like an earthquake," Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told state broadcaster ERT. Officials said many of the passengers on board the Athens to Thessaloniki train had been university students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend. Hospital units used to treat burn victims had been alerted in the area and dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows due to the impact. Nearly 30 people were killed and 85 people were injured after a freight and passenger train collided with each other in Greece. Are you on Telegram? Nigerias Tinubu wins presidential election; opposition cries foul, Greece train collision kills at least 36; station master arrested, Ukraine live briefing: Ukraine marks first day of spring as battle for Bakhmut intensifies. "We heard a big bang, [it was] 10 nightmarish seconds," said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage. The fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left.". Kostas Karamanlis, Greeces transport minister, resigned after visiting the site of the crash, sayinghe felt it was his duty to step down. Opinion: We are in a new cold war. Greece train crash: Dozens killed in head-on rail collision north of Athens, A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece. The wagon started to spin and then it ended up on its side and we got out. Why, with todays technology that has existed for many years, should so many lives hang on a human hand?. All Rights Reserved, Stationmaster arrested in connection to Greece train crash that killed at least 36. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. The Greek army has been called in to assist in the rescue effort. Passengers who were on board the train from Athens spoke to local media early on Wednesday morning, describing the frenzied scenes in the aftermath of the crash. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. How much could a short, brisk daily walk lower your health risks? Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. 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. Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped.. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometres north of Athens. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. Tuesday, February 28, 2023, NEW: Its not polite to pretend boys can be girls, SCOTUS takes on Bidens student debt agenda. ATHENS A passenger train and a freight train collided late Tuesday in central Greece, killing at least 36 people and leading to the arrest of a station master and the resignation of a government minister. Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130km to the north. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. 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