Passenger and freight trains collide in Greece: 36 dead, over 60 injured

In Greece, near the city of Larisa, at least 36 people were killed when a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train on February 28 in the evening. 66 people are injured, reports CNN.

Photo: IStock

Greek railway company Hellenic Train said in a press release that there was a "head-on collision between two trains: a freight train and an IC 62 train traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki."

“It was a very powerful clash,” Kostas Agorastos, the regional governor of Thessaly, told state television.

According to him, the first four cars of the passenger train derailed, and the first two cars caught fire and were "almost completely destroyed." “They were driving at high speed, and one driver did not know that another was approaching,” the governor added.

Rescuers are desperately looking for survivors.

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Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis said the exact death toll is still unknown, amid reports of 20-25 missing. However, officials say some of them may have left the scene without explanation.

The two trains were traveling on the same track many kilometers before the incident occurred, state public broadcaster ERT reported March 1. According to ERT, the passenger train changed lanes and switched to a freight track before colliding head-on with a freight train.

Greek Health Minister Thanos Pleuris said the process of identifying the victims had also begun. Speaking to a hospital in Larisa, Pleuris said: “As you can imagine, this is a terrible process for the parents and relatives who are here. We will help them in any way we can."

He said there were "some difficulties" in the identification process, but added that "the wounded are in relatively good condition."

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis heads to the scene of the clash. Greek President Caterina Sakellaropoulou also announced that she was interrupting her visit to Moldova in order to return to Greece.

According to the Greek fire service, rescue work is currently underway, primarily in the first carriages of the passenger train. The death toll is expected to rise.

The passenger train was traveling from the capital of Athens to Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, famous for its festivals and vibrant cultural life. The clash followed a nationwide weekend carnival that ended with a public holiday on 27 February.

Images from Greek state public broadcaster ERT show plumes of thick smoke billowing from overturned train cars and long lines of rescue vehicles beside them. Meanwhile, rescuers with torches searched the cars for survivors, and paramedics led shell-shocked passengers away from the scene.

Some of the surviving passengers arrive in Thessaloniki.

Greek Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vartakoyannis said earlier that 194 passengers were safely delivered to Thessaloniki, while 20 people were taken by bus to the city of Larissa. At least 150 firefighters participated in the rescue operation, including special rescue teams with 17 vehicles and 30 ambulances.

“All the actions of firefighters working at the scene are focused on the first three cars of the train,” Vartakoyannis said. “Crane vehicles create conditions for access and full inspection of the car interior.”

An investigation was launched and the police said they had arrested the local stationmaster in Larisa, reports with the BBC.

Panic, chaos, fire

Passengers tried to escape from the rubble. “There was panic, a fire immediately broke out, people were burned, fire was on the right and left,” said 28-year-old Stergios Minenis.

“We just heard the pop. The car started to roll over before being on its side, then we managed to get out,” another male passenger told the Greek public broadcaster ERT.

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“It was 10 nightmarish seconds with fire, because of the smoke, little was visible,” said the second passenger.

One shocked passenger said that "the windows suddenly exploded" and "people were screaming and scared."

“Fortunately, we were able to open the doors quickly enough and get out. People in other carriages did not manage to get out, and one carriage even caught fire,” he said.

Some passengers said they had to smash the car windows with their bodies or luggage to escape the burning wreckage.

Angelos Tsiamuras said the accident was like an earthquake and he broke the train window with his suitcase. “We smashed the windows with our backs,” another passenger said.

“I was not injured, but I was covered in the blood of other people who were injured near me,” said one of the survivors of the disaster.

Many of the 350 passengers on the passenger train were 20-year-old students returning to Thessaloniki after a long Greek Orthodox Lent weekend. One woman reported that her 23-year-old cousin, who had been on the phone with his mother from a passenger train shortly before the accident, had still not been found.

“His mother has been looking for him since dawn,” she added.

“I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. This is a tragedy. Five hours later, we find the bodies,” said an exhausted rescuer who climbed out from under the rubble.

Unsafe road

According to a 2022 report from the European Union Railways Agency, Greece has a poor track record in rail passenger safety compared to other European countries. In terms of indicators, including the total number of fatalities per kilometer, Greece's railway safety record was the worst in the EU in the last decade, according to statistics from the EU railway agency. Most of the deaths are among railway workers, not passengers.

Hellenic Train, the main Greek railway company, was acquired by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane in 2017 and is now wholly controlled by Trenitalia. The company is engaged in both passenger and freight transportation. The main line on which daily flights are offered is Athens-Thessaloniki.

Although there is no evidence of what caused the crash, some in Greece are already asking questions about the financing, staffing and maintenance of the railway.

This is the worst train disaster Greece has ever seen.

Condolences began pouring in from around the world as Greek government officials declared three days of mourning at half-mast starting March 1.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna tweeted: "Sad thoughts after the terrible train accident near Larissa in Greece... my heart goes out to the people of Greece and I express my sincere condolences to the victims and their families."

“My thoughts are with the people of Greece,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. - All of Europe mourns with you. I also wish a speedy recovery to all those injured.”

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, tweeted on March 1: "This morning my thoughts are with the people of Greece."

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “I think of the families of the victims of the terrible accident that happened last night near Larissa. France stands next to the Greeks.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to Sakellaropoul over the train derailment, according to state media.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also released a statement after the accident: “We are saddened to learn that many people were killed and injured last night in a train derailment in neighboring Greece. We express our condolences to the relatives of those who died in this tragic accident, as well as to the people and government of Greece, and wish a speedy recovery to those affected.”

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