Sam Amico
In perhaps the worst train accident in Greece’s history, at least 36 people reportedly are dead after a commuter train collided head-on with a cargo train, throwing entire carriages off the tracks.
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Many of those who perished were students, Reuters reported. One of the carriages burst into flames following the collision, leading authorities to believe that the death toll is likely to rise.
The crash occurred just before midnight outside the city of Larissa as the passenger train made its way to Athens.
Some passengers kicked through windows to climb out of their cars. Others were thrown more than 40 feet after impact.
“There was panic … the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,” Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage, told Reuters.
Greece Train Collision Kills at Least 36
Another passenger told Skai TV that “windows were being smashed and people were screaming … One of the windows caved in from the impact of iron from the other train.”
Rescue personnel searched through the carriages for survivors as large cranes lifted the derailed cars.
“The confirmed number of dead is 36 but based on these facts, and the findings from the scene of the tragedy, the number is expected to be greater,” fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis said, via Reuters.
As a result of the tragedy, the local station master has been arrested and charged with causing mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence, a police official said.
The passenger train was carrying 342 passengers and two crew members, while the cargo train consisted of two crew members. It is believed one of the train’s signals stopped working, leading to the collision.
The cargo train was headed to Larissa from Thessaloniki, reports indicate.
