Greece: collision between two trains, at least 40 dead, between 50 and 60 missing – Europe

There are at least 40 victims of the very serious accident which took place in Greece: the head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train which took place during the night near the Greek city of Larissa. According to kla public tv Ert, they would be between 50 and 60 missing. And at least 130 people were injured. Seven victims were found charred, rescuers said, cited by Greek media.

After the train disaster, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Kostas Karamanlis resigned. “I have been in politics for a few years, but I consider it a necessary element of our democracy that the citizens of our country have faith in the political system. This is called political responsibility. For this reason, I resign from the position of Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. This is what I feel the duty to do as a minimum sign of respect for the memory” of the victims, the minister said in a statement. In the morning Karamanlis had gone to the scene of the collision and had spoken of “a very difficult search and rescue operation. I would like us to remain calm and remain committed to doing everything possible to investigate the causes and not sweep anything under the carpet”, He said.

After interrupting the official visit to Moldova, the President of the Greek Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou went to the crash site where she expressed her closeness to the families of the victims and was updated by the firefighters on the progress of the rescue operations. The president, who described the tragedy as “inconceivable”, left some flowers on the remains of a wagon in memory of the victims and then left to visit the two hospitals in Larissa where the wounded are hospitalized and where, according to the media, dozens of people flocked to donate blood. The secretary of Syriza and former premier Alexis Tsipras also arrived at the scene of the accident.

The station master of Larissa was arrested as part of the investigation.According to the story of a Greek journalist from the BBC the trains traveled at great speed because they didn’t know the other was coming and the impact was so severe that “there is nothing left of the first two carriages” after the accident. Rescue teams are now trying to move the wreckage of the carriages off the tracks, but it is very difficult. “The collision was so bad that the first two carriages simply disappeared. The mayor of the city near the accident said that nothing was left of the first two carriages,” the reporter says.

Many university students on board of the train, according to the mayor of Tempé, Yorgos Manolis. They were returning to Thessaloniki after an extended weekend due to Carnival in Greece. The passenger train was in fact traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, while the freight train was traveling in the opposite direction. According to the Greek emergency services.

The firefighters explained that three carriages derailed in Larissa, in the center of the country, after the collision between the freight train and a convoy carrying 350 passengers. One of the carriages caught fire and several people would have been trapped, according to the ERT TV channel. Regional governor Kostas Agorastos said that “more than 250 passengers were transferred by bus to Thessaloniki. Unfortunately – he added – the number of injured and dead is likely to be high”.

According to Greek media, it is the “worst train accident the country has ever known”. About 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were mobilized, according to rescuers, as well as cranes and mechanics to try to clear the debris and lift the overturned carriages. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It’s tragic. Five hours later, we still find bodies,” said a rescuer working at the crash site.

“My thoughts are with the Greek people after the terrible train crash that claimed so many lives last night near Larissa. All of Europe mourns with you. I also wish a speedy recovery to all those injured,” he wrote on Twitter. the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, adding in Greek “we are beside you”. Also tweeted by the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola: “I am deeply saddened by the terrible train accident that took place near Larissa, in Greece – she wrote -. My sincere condolences to all the victims, their families and their friends. I am grateful to all the rescuers and medical personnel present at the scene. Our thoughts are with the Greek people after this tragic event”.