Passenger train and freight train collide in a fiery wreck, killing 26 people and injuring at least 85, fire service officials say.
At least 26 people have been killed and 85 have been injured after two trains collided in central Greece and at least three carriages caught fire, the fire brigade said.
"At least 26 people have been found dead so far," a fire services spokesperson said at a press conference early on Wednesday, adding that rescue operations were still ongoing.
"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."
Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, some 380 kilometres north of Athens late on Tuesday. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries.
State broadcaster ERT said that "tens of people" were injured after a passenger train collided with a cargo train.
The fire brigade could not confirm the cause of the accident. The fire had been put out, the fire brigade said.
It said "some passengers" were pulled from the wreckage unconscious after the crash outside the city of Larissa close to midnight.
Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows and thick plumes of smoke, as well as debris strewn across the road. Rescue workers were seen carrying torches in carriages looking for trapped passengers.
#BREAKING: Sixteen people die, at least 85 injured after two trains collide in Greece — fire brigade pic.twitter.com/ujDBULI2fw
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) March 1, 2023
'It was like an earthquake'
A teenage survivor who did not give his name told Greek reporters as he got off one of the buses that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop.
"Our carriage didn't derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed," he said, visibly shaken.
He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape.
"There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming," a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV.
"It was like an earthquake," Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT.
Konstantinos Agorastor, governor of the broader Thessaly region, told SKAI TV the two trains collided head-on — a passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa.
"The collision was very strong," he said, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were "almost completely destroyed."
Officials said the army had been contacted to assist.
Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board when the collision occurred.
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