At least 29 were killed and over 85 were injured after two trains in central Greece collided late Tuesday, the fire brigade officials on the site reported. Some 17 vehicles were at the scene trying to put out the flames, the fire brigade department added.
Konstantinos Agorastos, governor of Thessaly region told SKAI TV that two trains, one passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa collided outside the city of Larissa in central Greece.
“The collision was very strong,” Agorastos told SKAI TV.
The reason for the collision is still unclear.
He added that the collision was very strong and the first four carriages had derailed while the first two were “completely destroyed” in the accident.
“This is a terrible night,” Agorastos added. “It’s hard to describe the scene.”
Medical officials in Larrisa have claimed that at least 25 of those wounded are in serious condition. “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 said.
The governor claimed that some 250 passengers were evacuated safely by rescue officials to Thessaloniki on buses.
The broadcasting SKAI showed several footage of derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows and thick plumes of smoke, with debris strewn across the road.
Rescue workers were seen carrying torches in carriages looking for trapped passengers.
A young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV that there was panic in the carriage as people were screaming.
Another passenger named Angelos Tsiamouras told ERT that the incident was like an earthquake.
(With inputs from agencies)
