At least 110 people have been injured and killed following a head-on collision between two trains in northeastern Greece. Some 350 passengers were on board one of the trains at the time of the crash, with rescuers pulling many survivors from the wreckage.
The crash took place shortly after midnight on Wednesday near Tempe, located close to Greece’s eastern coast and some 144 miles (233 kilometers) north of the capital city of Athens.
A representative of the Greek fire service, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, confirmed 26 fatalities, in addition to some 85 wounded. At least 25 of those injured are said to be in “serious condition” after the accident, according to state-run broadcaster ERT News, which noted that several train cars were derailed in the collision.
“It was a very powerful collision. This is a terrible night… It’s hard to describe the scene,” Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of Greece’s Thessaly region, told state media, adding that around 250 survivors had been evacuated to Thessaloniki on buses.
Passengers reached by local media described the moment of the crash, saying they felt a “strong jolt” before the train lost power, forcing panicked travelers to smash windows in order to flee overturned railcars.
Thirty ambulances have reportedly rushed to the scene to treat the wounded, with multiple hospitals in nearby Larissa now operating on an “emergency basis,” local reports added. Fire crews also responded to fight a blaze that erupted on some cars, while the police and military have also mobilized rescue teams.
It remains unclear what caused the collision, and officials have yet to discuss any investigation into the deadly incident.
