Rescuers are searching wreckage for survivors after 26 people died and at least 85 were injured in a collision between a passenger train and a freight train in central Greece. Larissa's chief coroner, Roubini Leondari, said so far 43 bodies had been brought to her for examination, and would require DNA identification as they were largely disfigured. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Many of the passengers would have been returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. The passenger train was traveling from the capital, Athens, to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, when it and the cargo train collided. "We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. A passenger train and a freight train collided in northern Greece, killing at least 32 people and injuring 85 others as plumes of smoke filled the night sky. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. Kostas Karamanlis, Greeces transport minister, resigned after visiting the site of the crash, sayinghe felt it was his duty to step down. There was a fire in the first cars and complete panic. It will take a long time, said Sarianidis. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear carriages as he arrived. Government officials said the army has been asked to help with the rescue. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. "They were travelling at great speed and one [driver] didn't know the other was coming," he said. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. "There's debris flung all over the crash site.". A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. They were looking around, searching; they didnt know where they were.. TEMPE, Greece -- Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country's worst-ever rail crash. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying. Television footage showed derailed carriages with cargo containers flipped over and crash debris strewn across a nearby road. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight. We just heard a bang the (train) car started spinning, before ending up sideways when we managed to exit, one passenger told Greek public broadcaster ERT, per CNN. Many were evacuated to Thessaloniki, where one woman ran to embrace her daughter as she disembarked from a bus with other survivors. Fire service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said the evacuation was being carried out under very difficult conditions. A local TV channel reported that some people were still trapped earlier in the morning. Another woman, who was waiting there, said her child was not picking up the phone. Greek transport minister resigns after deadly crash between passenger train and freight train | CBC News Loaded. At least 32 people have died after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday. Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai Television the two trains collided head on at high speed. A derailed passenger train is seen following a collision with a cargo train in the Tempe valley near Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. The passenger train was en route from Athens to Thessaloniki with 342 passengers and a crew of 10. TEMPE, Greece A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said. Pope Francis offered his condolences to the families of the dead, in a message sent to the president of the Greek bishops conference on his behalf by the Vaticans secretary of state. Its tragic. Tuesday, February 28, 2023, NEW: Its not polite to pretend boys can be girls, SCOTUS takes on Bidens student debt agenda. March 1, 2023 11.14am. Two trains collided head-on inGreece,killing at least 36 people and injuring 85, late on Tuesday night, but the cause of the deadliest rail crash inGreecein decades remained unclear. Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the broader Thessaly region, told broadcaster SKAI TV that the trains had been travelling towards each other on the same track. The government announced three days of national mourning. They are in very bad condition. Survivors said some passengers were thrown from the train car windows on impact. "Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said. I also wish for a speedy recovery for all the injured.. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision just before midnight Tuesday near the town of Tempe as the passenger train was emerging from a highway underpass. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights before dawn Wednesday as they searched frantically through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. We are pulling out people alive, injuredthere are dead," he said. While the cause of Tuesday's collision was not immediately clear, Greece's ageing railway system has long been in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems yet to be installed in many areas. On Wednesday, rescuers turned to cranes and other heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned in the wake of the crash, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down "as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.". 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. "I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones or suffered in this disaster.". The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remained unclear. A crane operator, firefighters and rescuers work the scene of a collision in Tempe, about 235 miles north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Rescuers in Larissa, Greece are searching for survivors in the twisted remains of a passenger train and freight train that collided at high speed shortly before midnight. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said earlier that the two trains had been running in opposite directions on the same track for "several kilometers.". Why did Twitter suspend Sen. Mike Lees personal account? This year was the first time the three-day festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. "This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. "This is a terrible night," Mr Agorastos had earlier told state-run television. An intercity passenger train collided at high speed with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa. In these 3.5 years, we have made every effort to improve this reality, he said as he announced his resignation. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Temperatures reached 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 Fahrenheit), which makes it even more difficult to identify the people who were in it, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said. Officials said this included university students returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. For 10, 15 seconds it was chaos, Stergios Minenis, 28, told the BBC. Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. FDA panel recommends first RSV vaccine for adults 60 and older, Biden touts plan to raise taxes on the rich, but its unclear he has support in the House, Eli Lilly announces out-of-pocket cap on insulin at $35 a month, Why are eggs so expensive? The head of emergency unit in Larissa hospital Apostolos Komnos said most of the victims were young people, in their 20s. Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed, he said. "Based on these facts, and the findings from the scene of the tragedy, the number is expected to be greater" than the current toll of 36. This is an indescribable tragedy, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said, adding that 500 workers from emergency services were at the scene of the crash. Others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled and slammedinto a field next to the tracks, some being burnt in the process. March 1, 2023 11.14am. The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who might be missing. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis office announced a three-day national mourning period. Passengers speaking to the BBC described hearing a big bang and escaping the fire that engulfed their train immediately after the collision. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. Nearly 30 people were killed and 85 people were injured after a freight and passenger train collided with each other in Greece. We share the pain of those who lost loved ones, but we know their pain is so great that comforting words can offer no relief.. The U.S. Embassy in Athens said it was not aware of any American victims, adding that it was deeply saddened by the news of the tragic train collision this morning. Condolences poured in from world leaders, and European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels were lowered to half-staff. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. The passenger train was carrying 342 travellers and 10 crew, while two crew were on the cargo train, according to Hellenic Train data. Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 80 miles to the north. A passenger train and a freight train collided in northern Greece, killing at least 32 people and injuring 85 others as plumes of smoke filled the night sky. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou broke off an official visit to Moldova to visit the scene, laying flowers beside the wreckage. Five hours later, we are finding bodies, an exhausted rescuer said as he emerged from a carriage. He said he was taking responsibility for "long-standing failures" in the country's transport network. Crews illuminated the scene, laying flowers beside the wreckage and special lifting clear. 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