A teenage survivor who did not give his name told reporters that just before the crash he felt a strong braking and saw sparks then there was a sudden stop. Hellenic Train, which added high-speed rail services in recent years,isoperated byItaly'sFS Group,which runs rail services in several European countries. The front section of the train was smashed. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. 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. What appeared to be the passenger train's third carriage lay atop the crumpled remains of the first two, where emergency crews were directing their focus. We are pulling out people alive, injured there are dead. Ambulances from several nearby towns were called in to take injured passengers to hospitals, while rescue workers continued to work in the thick smoke. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. Another two people were detained for questioning. "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. Nearly 30 people were killed and 85 people were injured after a freight and passenger train collided with each other in Greece. Hellenic Train, which has added high-speed services in recent years, is operated by Italy's FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. All Rights Reserved, Stationmaster arrested in connection to Greece train crash that killed at least 36. Thessaly regional governor Konstantinos Agorastos saidthe two trains hurtled towards each other on the same track. On Wednesday, rescuers turned to cranes and other heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. Were working to restore it. The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. An intercity passenger train collided at high speed with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa. The passenger train was traveling from the capital, Athens, to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, when it and the cargo train collided. The crash, which also injured 85 people, occurred shortly before midnight in the Tempe Valley in central Greece, the Hellenic Fire Service said. "The 59-year-old station master was arrested," AFP quoted a local police spokesperson as saying, adding that charges would be announced later in the day, but providing no information on what those charges might be. The U.S. Embassy in Athens said it was not aware of any American victims, adding that it was deeply saddened by the news of the tragic train collision this morning. Condolences poured in from world leaders, and European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels were lowered to half-staff. "It's hard to describe the scene. We will help them as much as we can, he said. Unfortunately, our efforts have not been sufficient to prevent such a bad incident. A train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. 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, Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service, told the AP. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. The impact just before midnight Tuesday threw some passengers into ceilings and out the windows. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. The pain is unspeakable, he said. At least 66 people were injured in the crash, including six in intensive care, while about 250 passengers, some with minor injuries, were evacuated safely by bus to Thessaloniki, about 130km (80 miles) away. Smoke rose from trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after the accident. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. This is an indescribable tragedy, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said, adding that 500 workers from emergency services were at the scene of the crash. The cause of the collision is unknown pending further investigation, but Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the Greek government would do everything it can to find out what caused the crash. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai Television the two trains crashed head on at high speed. He said it appears the crash was "mainly due to a tragic human error.. "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who was one of the first people on the scene. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Greece, local authorities said. There are 20 to 25 people still missing, so the death toll from the collision could change, according to the BBC. Survivors said some passengers were thrown from the train car windows on impact. Man survives month lost in Amazon by eating insects, drinking urine. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights in the hours before dawn on Wednesday as they searched through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. Five hours later, we are finding bodies.". People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. A teenage survivor who did not give his name saidhe had used a bag to break open the window of his carriage and escape. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency, Murat whistled until he was found under rubble in Trkiye. Passenger train from Athens collides head-on with freight train in Greece, killing 36 people. "This is an indescribable tragedy," said government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou. 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 government announced three days of national mourning. I consider it a necessary element of our democracy that the citizens of our country trust the political system. Smoke rose from trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after the accident. I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all that's in our power so that something like this never happens again, Mitsotakis said. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. The crash took place outside the central city of Larissa late on Tuesday, when a passenger train heading from the capital, Athens, to Thessaloniki collided with a cargo train travelling from the northern city. Pope Francis sent his condolences and passed along blessings to those injured and to emergency workers, according to the Vaticans news agency. A man who was trying to ascertain the fate of his daughter, who was on the train, saying he had a harrowing phone conversation with her before she was cut off. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis said the evacuation of passengers took place in very "difficult conditions given the severity of the collision of the two trains". Smoke rose from trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after the accident. Sixty-six of those injured were hospitalised, six of whom in intensive care, the official said. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Footage from the crash site showed flames surrounding the derailed train cars, as well as the swirling lights of firetrucks and ambulances nearby. It was like an earthquake, Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT. An aerial view after a train collision in northern Greece that killed at least 32 people. March 1, 2023 11.14am. Kostas Karamanlis, Greeces transport minister, resigned after visiting the site of the crash, sayinghe felt it was his duty to step down. At least 32 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured after two trains collided in Greece. 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. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. Opinion: We are in a new cold war. We are going to be here all night until we finish;until we find the last person.". We found a hole and from there we managed to get out. "Temperatures were particularly high, reaching even 1,300 degrees Celsius (about 2,700 Fahrenheit)," Varthakogiannis told journalists. This story will be updated as more information develops. We were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides then there was panic, cables (everywhere) fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left.. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece Tuesday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. Regional governor of Thessaly, Kostas Agorastos, said 250 survivors had been evacuated to Thessaloniki on buses. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. "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. "There was panic the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left. Train collided with each other in Greece, killing 36 people flames surrounding the derailed train,! 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