BAt least 46 people have died in a train accident in Greece. This was reported by the fire department on Thursday. However, many more have gone missing. For this reason, rescue workers are continuing to search the ruins, state television (ERT) reported.
Railway workers across the country went on a 24-hour strike to protest the poor condition of Greece’s railways. Two out of three metro lines in Athens are on strike, media reported.
The accident took place on Wednesday night. According to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the cause was “tragic human error”. The station master in charge of the station in the central Greek city of Larissa on Tuesday evening reportedly admitted to having set the points incorrectly. A passenger train with about 350 people on board reportedly ended up on the tracks of an oncoming freight train from Thessaloniki.
Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced his resignation within hours of the accident. “If something so tragic happens, we can’t continue as if nothing happened,” Karamanlis said.
Aerial view of the crash site near the city of Larissa
Quelle: AP/Vaggelis Kousioras
The locomotives and first cars of both trains were almost completely destroyed in the collision, with both drivers among the dead. Many wagons fell on the tracks and some caught fire.
A total of four wagons derailed and at least two caught fire, the governor of Thessaly region, Konstantinos Agorastos, told the “Sky” television channel. The first two wagons were “almost completely destroyed” by the impact. About 250 passengers were taken safely to Thessaloniki by bus, Governor Agorastos said.
The rescue mission was very difficult
Greek television showed videos from the crash site. Several derailed wagons were seen with broken windows and thick clouds of smoke. Garbage was lying on the street. Firefighters and rescue workers were trying to find people trapped in the rubble.
The rescue operation was “extremely difficult,” Konstantinos Gianakopoulos of the doctors’ association in Larissa told TV channel ERT. Some of the 500 rescuers tried to climb into wagons that had been crushed by metal scissors. Two large cranes were used to remove the debris from the railway line. Regional governor Kostas Agorastos told Skai that the eventual death toll would be “very high”.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said an emergency service member, emerging from the wrecked wagon, completely exhausted. “It’s very sad.” An AFP reporter reported that one of the train carriages was completely crushed and rescuers were unable to get inside. Other wagons were partially destroyed, flames and smoke lingering on the platform.
“Worst train accident in country’s history”
A survivor said the passenger train caught fire after the crash. “There was confusion and a fraud,” he added Government Television was added. “We broke the window panes with our suitcases and got out of our wagon in the dark,” said one young man.
“At the time of the accident, the windows suddenly exploded,” another passenger said on television. “Luckily we opened the door and made a quick escape. People in other cars didn’t make it,” he said. Another passenger said: “I’m not hurt, but next to me there are blood stains from other people who were injured.”
Images of the train crash from Wednesday night
Quelle: AP/Vaggelis Kousioras
Which: REUTERS
Greek media spoke of “the worst train accident in the country’s history”. 150 emergency services participated in the rescue operation and 40 ambulances were used. The reasons for this are currently being sought. State television reported that the railway boss responsible for the accident was arrested.
The route connecting Athens with the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki has been modernized in recent years. Greek Railways (Hellenic Railways) is operated by the Italian state railway Ferrovi dello Stato Italiano (FS). Despite new bridges and tunnels and two-track modernization along the 500-kilometer Athens-Thessaloniki route, there are significant problems with the electrical coordination of traffic control.
“Just like the old days, we drive from one part of the track to another by radio. The station managers are giving us the green light,” Kostas Zenitonias, head of the train drivers’ union, said on state radio. He could not say why this was happening and why the modern control system was not working.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis visited the crash site on Wednesday and declared three days of national mourning. He promised to fully clarify the circumstances of the accident.
“Many of the victims were young people celebrating the festival”
A freight train and a passenger train collided head-on in Greece. More than 30 people died. “It is not yet clear if the train drivers are among the victims,” said Jens Bastian, a Greek journalist.
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