(George Kidonas/AP), People donate blood for the injured passengers of the train collision in Larissa, about 355 kilometers (222 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Sickening CCTV footage has revealed the moment two trains collided in Greece in a horror smash that killed more than 40 people in the country's worst rail tragedy. (Vaggelis Kousioras/AP), Firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The media network attributed the problems to unsafe level crossings, poor infrastructure and traffic management systems, and understaffed companies. According to New York State Police, Helfer was driving his department-issued vehicle westbound when another driver traveling eastbound passed a driveway and backed up. Emma Bubola contributed reporting from London, and Monika Pronczuk from Brussels. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. Published Feb. 28, 2023 Updated March 1, 2023, 2:25 a.m. All rights reserved. 'There was panic the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,' said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old who jumped to safety. He said windows shattered, showering riders with glass. People donate blood for the injured passengers of the train collision in Larissa, about 355 kilometers (222 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. 'It will be very difficult to find survivors, due to the temperatures that developed in the carriages,' 40-year old rescuer Constantinos Imamidis said. (George Kidonas/AP), Firefighters collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Windows were shattering and people were screaming, a young man, who was not identified, told a television crew after surviving the crash. In addition, traffic flow (green: smooth traffic, red: traffic jams, orange: slow moving traffic, black: road closed) is available on the map. At least 38 people are dead in Tempe, Greece after a passenger train carrying hundreds of people struck an oncoming First published on Wed 1 Mar 2023 14.23 EST. As Greece sought to process the tragedy, railway workers nationwide walked off the job on Thursday, saying successive governments had ignored repeated demands to improve safety standards. Scores were injured. See you soon! The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Larissa's chief coroner, Roubini Leondari, said 43 bodies had been brought to her for examination and would require DNA identification as they were largely disfigured. Gogakos said the crash felt like an explosion, and some smoke entered the carriage. We've received your submission. Do not sell or share my personal information. public events). At first, a Greece police spokesman said Forsythe swerved to avoid striking a deer crossing the road just north of the Ridgeway Avenue exit. A still from grainy CCTV footage shows the moment the colliding trains burst into flame, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023, Debris of trains lie on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis reacts with horror at the scene of the train crash. The toll surpassed that of a 1968 collision involving two passenger trains near Corinth, about 40 miles west of Athens, which left 34 people dead. The Greek police on Wednesday afternoon arrested the station manager in Larissa, about 20 miles south of the crash site, without giving a reason. 'The collision was like a huge earthquake.'. 'When something so tragic happens, we cannot continue as if nothing had happened,' Karamanlis said in a public statement. They wont tell us anything, she added, drawing deeply on a cigarette. Firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. From 2018 to 2020, the country had the highest railway fatality rate among 28 European countries per million train kilometers, according to a 2022 report by the European Union Agency for Railways. 4 min read. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided before midnight Tuesday at high speed with an oncoming freight train. A railway official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the crash, said that electronic monitoring and warning systems along the track did not work properly. Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece. TEMPE, Greece A head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train flattened carriages, killed at least 36 people, and injured some 85, Greek officials said Wednesday. Helfer, a deputy chief at the Greece Police Department, became the interim chief when Forsythe resigned in late October. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Read Boulevard. He said some passengers escaped through windows but that after a few minutes, crew members were able to open the doors and let people out. The passenger train, carrying more than 350 people, had been travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki. Wood will officially be sworn in as chief on January 15th. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. In 1968, 34 people died in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. The army was assisting with the rescue operation, and the Greek minister for civil protection, Christos Stylianides, was coordinating the states response. That investigation is still in progress. It could still rise further, The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. ViaMichelin provides details of incidents that may affect road traffic in Greece that include: road closures, lane restrictions, accidents, roadworks, weather, special events (e.g. Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed, he said. He was due to appear before a prosecutor Thursday to be formally charged. Helena Smith in Athens. The crash occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel (pictured). The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remains unclear but the PM said it was likely 'tragic human error' This happened around 4:30 p. m. on Latta Road just west of Long Pond Road. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. In Athens, several hundred members of left-wing groups marched late Wednesday to protest the train deaths. Minor clashes broke out as some protesters threw stones at the offices of Greece's rail operator and riot police, and set dumpsters on fire. No arrests or injuries were reported. Its unlikely there will be survivors, but hope dies last, rescuer Nikos Zygouris said. Thanks for contacting us. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Greece is expected to hold a general election in the coming weeks, probably in early April. News Angelos Tzortzinis for The New York Times. Authorities arrested the stationmaster at the trains last stop, in the city of Larissa. Before dawn the next day, rescuers searched through twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. (Vaggelis Kousioras/AP), Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis makes statements to the media during his visit at the location of a collision of the train in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Greeces firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. She told me, Were on fire. Everything else we will deal with afterward, he said. WebGreece Police Headquarters 6 Vince Tofany Blvd. Video of the crash, which occurred moments after the passenger train emerged from under a highway underpass, showed the graffiti-scrawled passenger cars derailed, overturned and burned to a shell. (George Kidonas/AP), Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. The death toll from the head-on collision of two trains in central Greece is likely to rise with officials acknowledging All the information on real-time traffic conditions for Greece with ViaMichelin. The second driver was not injured in the crash, troopers said. Pictured:A crane operator, firefighters and rescuers work the scene of the deadly train crash on Wednesday morning. Protests have erupted in Greece over the rail crash which killed 43 people, with many seeing it as an accident that had been waiting to happen. Contact Victoria Freileat vfreile@gannett.com. WebStay current with all the latest and breaking news from Greece, New York, compare headlines and perspectives between news sources on stories happening today. Weather 0C Monday -4 | -2C Tuesday -7 | -4C Wednesday -9 | -3C No arrests or injuries were reported. We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters after visiting the crash site that tragic human error had led to the crash, but gave no further details. Some 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were mobilised for the response, according to Greek emergency services. 'Shocked by the news and images of the collision of the two trains,' he added. The president of the train drivers' union Kostas Genidounias told AFP from the scene that the accident 'would have been avoided if the safety systems were working'. According to New York State Police, Helfer was driving his department-issued vehicle westbound when another driver traveling eastbound passed a driveway and backed up. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving treatment. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Beaming Prince Harry and Meghan enjoy a date night at exclusive $4,200-A-YEAR private members' club in LA - as friend claims they've been left furious over King Charles' 'cruel' decision to evict them from Frogmore Cottage, Biden LAUGHS at claim he was responsible for fentanyl overdoses of two brothers and says they died 'under the previous administration' - after mom's heartbreaking testimony to Congress. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained. At least 38 people are dead in Tempe, Greece after a passenger train carrying hundreds of people struck an oncoming freight train at high speed. Check out our car rental service and all its many benefits. Most (of the bodies) are young people, she told ERT. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning fromraucous Carnival celebrations. That driver then made a left turn in front of westbound traffic in an attempt to reach the driveway. Former Greece Police Chief Andrew Forsythe last month pleaded guilty to driving while ability impairedand admitting that he was intoxicated when he crashed into a guardrail andtotaled his town-issued sport utility vehicle on Route 390 on Oct. 21. If an investigation proves that national safety standards were not in line with E.U. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the trains rear cars as he arrived. WebViaMichelin provides details of incidents that may affect road traffic in Greece that include: road closures, lane restrictions, accidents, roadworks, weather, special events (e.g. 'Fortunately we were in the penultimate car and we got out alive. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near the gorge, about 235 miles north of Athens. This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend, said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. (George Kidonas/AP). Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Subscribe to the Michelin newsletter. You can also transfer your calculated routes from your computer to the app: to do this, you must save it in your Favourites via your Michelin account. Television footage showed red cranes looming over the twisted, charred wreckage, as police and rescue workers in fluorescent jackets surveyed the scene. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remains unclear but the PM said it was likely 'tragic human error', Crushed wagons are seen by the tracks after a train accident in the Valley of Tempi near Larisa, Students take part in a protest following a deadly train accident on February 28, 2023, near the city of Larissa, central Greece where 38 people died, outside the Hellenic Train headquarters, in Athens, on March 1, People light candles and lay flowers outside of the railway station of Larissa to pay tribute to the victims of a train accident in the Tempi Valley near Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023, This photograph taken on March 1, 2023, shows a slogan sprayed onto a glass window translating into 'Murderers-revolution now' as protesters escape tear gas during a demonstration following a deadly train accident on February 28, near the city of Larissa, central Greece. The prime minister said that he had appointed Giorgos Gerapetritis, who is a close aide, as a temporary successor to Mr. Karamanlis. Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, 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. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. Elisavet, who had traveled from Athens and like her sister declined to give her surname because she did not want more exposure, said: The myth about the safety of traveling by train has finally collapsed., Mr. Karamanlis, the transport minister, who choked up earlier in the day while talking to reporters at the site of the crash, said later that he was resigning as the minimum expression of respect to the memory of those who were so unfairly lost and that he was assuming responsibility for the chronic ailments of the Greek state and the political system.. Karamanlis resigned Wednesday, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis makes statements to the media during his visit at the location of a collision of the train in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. Play it now! Vasilis Ververidis/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. They were looking around, searching; they didnt know where they were.. WebNewsBreak provides latest and breaking Greece, NY local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other The Greece Police Department was criticized after that incident and a number of officers disciplined for their actions or lack of actions in investigating the crash involving their chief. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. law, the European Commission could start legal proceedings against the government in question. Temperatures reached 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 degrees Fahrenheit), which makes it even more difficult to identify the people who were in it, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said. The three-car crash on Stone He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 80 miles to the north. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. At least 36 people are dead and another 85 injured. 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