According to the region’s governor, the collision was so violent that the first two passenger train cars “no longer exist.”
At least 36 persons were killed and dozens were injured when two trains collided head-on in Greece.
A passenger train traveling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train outside Larissa just before midnight.
The 59-year-old stationmaster in Larissa and two others were detained for interrogation, according to the police.
The collision occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel near the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia.
According to the police, multiple train cars derailed, with at least three of them catching flames.
Many of the fatalities were believed to be university students.
Since the incident, Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis has submitted his resignation.
The regional governor of Thessaly, Kostas Agorastos, said 250 survivors had been evacuated to Thessaloniki on buses.
The collision was so severe that the first two carriages of the passenger train “no longer exist”, he told Skai television.
“They were traveling at a high rate of speed, and one motorist was unaware that the other was approaching,” he said.
Several passengers were propelled through the windows, according to survivors. Some victims were discovered up to 40 meters distant.
A passenger who escaped from the fifth carriage told a television network, “Windows were being smashed and passengers were screaming…”
Also the rail operator Hellenic Train expressed “its profound sorrow for the tragic accident” and stated that there were approximately 350 passengers on board the passenger train.
Officials said this included university students returning home after a lengthy holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent.
This is an unfathomable calamity,” said deputy health minister Mina Gaga. “I feel terrible for these children’s guardians.”
The government proclaimed three days of national mourning until Friday, with flags flying at half-staff in honor of the victims. Later in the day, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was scheduled to examine the scene.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou announced that she would be cutting short her visit to Moldova to return to Greece.
Giannis Oikonomou, a spokesman for the government, described the situation as “an incomprehensible calamity.”
To search for trapped people, footage showed rescuers wearing headlamps and surrounded by dense smoke removing shattered metal from the carriages.
Others searched the field with spotlights and examined the wreckage’s underside.
After sunrise, rescuers began moving large train sections with heavy machinery.
Several bodies were found in the restaurant room near the front of the passenger train.
Mr. Agorastos had earlier told state-run television, “This is a dreadful night.” “It’s difficult to describe the scenario.”
The regional administrator added: “We are bringing in cranes and special lifting equipment to clear the debris and elevate the rail cars because the front section of the train was severely damaged. There is debris scattered throughout the collision site.”
One passenger informed state radio and television station ERT: “There was a fire nearby. We discovered a crevice, and from there, we were able to escape. We exited the wagon after it began to rotate and ended up on its side.
“It was a ten-second nightmare in the inferno. There was pandemonium in the carriage because the smoke prevented passengers from seeing their surroundings.”
Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who leaped to safety from the plane’s debris, said: “We heard a loud bang.
“We were turning over in the wagon until we collapsed on our sides… then there was panic, cables (everywhere)… the fire was immediate, and as we were turning over we were being burned.”
Officials from the fire department reported 36 fatalities and at least 85 injuries. Sixty people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care.
“The evacuation procedure is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a news conference.
“We are experiencing a calamity. People are being pulled out alive, injured, and deceased.”
Eight rail employees were among those slain, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union president Yannis Nitsas.
Ambulances from several nearby towns were summoned to transport injured passengers to hospitals. While rescue personnel continued to work in the dense smoke.
According to government officials, the army has been requested to assist with the rescue.
“There were many big pieces of steel,” said Vassilis Polyzos, a resident and one of the first responders.
“The trains were destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.”
As he arrived, he reported that confused passengers were fleeing from the train’s rear carriages.
“People, inevitably, were scared – very scared,” he said. “They were gazing around, searching; they didn’t know where they were.”
The cause of the collision is not yet known and is being investigated.
