At least 26 dead, 85 injured after two trains collide in Greece
International Desk, Mar 1 (EFE).- At least 26 people were killed and another 85 injured after a passenger train collided with a freight train in Tempe, on the outskirts of Thessaly in northern Greece, official sources said Wednesday.
“So far, 26 dead and 85 injured have been recovered,” fire department spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said, state-run broadcaster ERT reported.
Rescue operations, involving 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances of the National Emergency Center, are underway, he added.
Thirty-two police officers with 15 patrol cars are also assisting in the rescue efforts.
The bodies are being transferred to hospitals in Larissa in order to begin the process of recognition and identification while the rest of the passengers are in good health and have already been transported by buses to Thessaloniki, according to the spokesperson.
The two trains collided shortly before midnight at Evangelismos.
The regional governor of Thessaly, Kostas Agorastos, told state-run broadcaster ERT that two wagons had been completely destroyed due to the severity of the collision.
Three wagons of the passenger train have been derailed.
The train was traveling between Thessaloniki and Larissa and departed at 7:22 pm.
About 350 people were on board at the time of the accident, according to the Hellenic Train Company. EFE
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