A train said to be carrying around 350 passengers hit a freight train travelling in the opposite direction on Tuesday night. At least 32 people have been reported dead as well as dozens injured after the deadly collision. The passenger train was passing between Greek cities Thessaloniki and Larissa when it collided with a freight train just before midnight. Rescuers have been working through the night to find survivors, the fire service said.

There is a large emergency service presence at the scene near Tempi, about 235 miles north of Athens. Around 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were at the scene.

Local police stated that several carriages came off the rails, with at least three of them catching fire in the horror incident.

At least 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured, a fire brigade spokesperson revealed.

Meanwhile, hospital officials in nearby city announced that at least 25 of those injured were in serious condition.

All survivors have been rescued from the wreckage, Kostas Agorastos, Regional governor of Thessaly, told state broadcaster ERT.

Emergency services are still on the scene looking for the dead among the wreckage, he added.

Mr Agorastos also stated that the first two carriages of the passenger train “are not visible” following the devastating collision.

He said: “This is a terrible night. It’s hard to describe the scene.”

One passenger told state broadcaster ERT: “There was fire next to us.

“We found a hole and from there we managed to get out. The wagon started to spin and then it ended up on its side and we got out. It was a nightmarish 10 seconds, in the flames. There was panic in the carriage, you couldn’t see around you because of the smoke.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. It’s tragic. Five hours later, we are finding bodies,” an exhausted rescuer emerging from the wreckage told AFP news agency.

Another passenger named Angelos Tsiamouras told local media the crash had felt like an earthquake.

“It was a very powerful collision,” the regional governor of the Thessaly region, Kostas Agorastos, told state-run television. “This is a terrible night… It’s hard to describe the scene.”

DON’T MISS
London houses evacuated as police rush to scene of ‘unexploded device’ [INSIGHT]
EU wields axe on farmers’ livelihoods after flaming torch protests [REVEAL]
£10k reward to help find missing baby with 200 officers on search [UPDATE]

It is not yet known what caused the deadly incident.

Images and footage released by local media show plumes of thick smoke emerging from the destroyed carriages.

The fire brigade stated that 17 vehicles rushed to the scene to tackle the flames.

According to Reuters, a young man evacuated from the scene said: “There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming.”

Source: Read Full Article