Local authorities share updates
The first three cars of the passenger train have reached temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees, according to local authorities. (SOURCE: EUROPA PRESS)
At least 32 dead
At least 32 people have been killed and 85 injured after two trains collided head-on near the central Greek town of Tempe.
The collision occurred between a passenger train and a commercial train
At around midnight, a commercial train and a passenger train collided, killing 32 people and injuring at least 85 passengers, 25 of whom are in serious condition, as reported by the Greek Fire Brigade and reported by the ERT channel.
The passenger train had 350 people on board
According to preliminary reports, the passenger train, which had 350 people on board and was traveling on the Thessaloniki to Larissa route, had veered onto the wrong track, where the commercial train was running. The collision resulted in the derailment of three of the passenger train’s cars.
The first two cars have disappeared
«Wagons one and two do not exist. Due to the severity of the collision, they were ejected,» Thessaly regional governor Kostas Agorastos told ERT, detailing that among the injured there are people with burns.
The first wagons have reached extremely high temperatures
For his part, the mayor of Tempo, Giorgos Manoli, said that temperatures of 1,200 to 1,500 degrees Celsius developed in the first three cars.
The health services worked against the odds
Forty ambulances have rushed to the scene of the incident treating the many injured, who have been transferred to the University Hospital of the city of Larissa and to the Hospital of the city of Katerinis. Currently, more than 50 people remain hospitalized.
Station manager and company representative are in police custody
Meanwhile, the Larisa train station chief, who was in command at the time of the accident; the representative of the Hellenic Train company, as well as another official have been taken to the Larisa Police Department, according to the aforementioned media outlet.
Firefighters, Police and Army mobilized
In addition to firefighters, the Police and the Army have been mobilized to assist in the rescue efforts, activating an alert protocol as foreseen in the event of such accidents, according to the aforementioned network.
