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. The security camera clip showed a huge fireball rising hundreds of feet into the air immediately following the brutal impact, sparking the blaze that reduced two entire carriages to smouldering wreckage. 4 hospitalized after 3-car crash in Greece. The crash occurred at 1:30 p.m. Greece police and North Greece firefighters first responded to the scene, but turned the investigation over to the State Police. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Preventive maintenance has been a problematic issue for years now, Spyros Pateras, the president of the Hellenic Railways Organization, the body that oversees rail infrastructure in Greece, told a transport conference last year. (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. There were many big pieces of steel, said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of passengers. The crash occurred at approximately 5:00 p.m. at the intersection of Mt. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. A man who was trying to ascertain the fate of his daughter, who was on the train, said he had a harrowing phone conversation with her before she was cut off. See you soon! Gogakos said the crash felt like an explosion, and some smoke entered the carriage. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of passengers. Well ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. A teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt strong braking and saw sparks then there was a sudden stop. All rights reserved, Biden Proposes $1.6 Billion to Crack Down on COVID Relief Fraud, Child's Facetime Call Leads Police to Florida Home Where Dad Killed Daughter, 3 Others, Officials Say, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, 4 Ferraris Stolen on Long Island in Service Center Heist, Winter Storm May Bring More NYC Snow Friday and a Complex Mess to Millions: What to Expect. No other details of the crash have been released. The worst thing is this awful waiting, said Georgia, who had arrived in Larissa in the morning from Corfu. I'm still shaking,' 22-year-old passenger Angelos told AFP. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. A huge chunk of metal from the other train had come through one of the windows.. The death toll from the collision of two trains in central Greece rose on Wednesday as authorities announced that at least 36 people had been 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. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Police arrested At least 36 people are dead and another 85 injured. In addition, traffic flow (green: smooth traffic, red: traffic jams, orange: slow moving traffic, black: road closed) is available on the map. There was a fire in the first cars and complete panic. Michael Wood, a deputy commissioner at the state Division of Criminal Justice Services who also previously worked for the Rochester Police Department for two decades, is set to begin his role as chief next week. 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. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision of the passenger train and a freight train a horrific rail accident without precedent in our country, and pledged a full, independent investigation. Many of the victims were thought to be university students returning home after a long holiday weekend, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise further. But the crash clearly struck a nerve. At first, a Greece police spokesman said Forsythe swerved to avoid striking a deer crossing the road just north of the Ridgeway Avenue exit. He said that while the government had allocated 25 million euros, about $26.5 million, for maintenance, funding and staff have been lacking in recent years.. 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. Many of the approximately 350 people aboard the passenger train were students returning fromGreeces raucous Carnival, officials said. A train with about 350 passengers collided with a freight train near the city of Larissa in northern Greece. Unfortunately, our long-standing demands for staff hirings, better training and above all use of modern safety technology always end up in the wastepaper basket, it said in a statement. Rescue workers in Greece frantically searched for survivors through flattened carriages and smoking wreckage on Wednesday after a high-speed, You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Firefighters and rescuers collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Greeks began to look for answers. Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), Debris of trains lie on the rail lines as firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. In those three and a half years we made every effort to improve this reality. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, has collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train. Train debris lies on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A motorcyclist went to the hospital with serious injuries Friday. Its unlikely there will be survivors, but hope dies last, rescuer Nikos Zygouris said. GREECE, N.Y. (WROC) Interim Greece Police Chief Jason Helfer was hospitalized Wednesday, after a crash on Kuhn Road. Rioters clashed with The European Union Agency for Railways is responsible for setting up safety standards in collaboration with the national authorities and for monitoring and reporting on rail safety across the bloc. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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. 2023 www.democratandchronicle.com. Greece had already stood out in Europe for the lack of safety on its rail network. The department, which oversees public safety in Monroe County's most populatedtown,has approximately 100 sworn officers. He was due to appear before a prosecutor Thursday to be formally charged. Follow her onTwitter @vfreileand Instagram @vfreile. Debris of trains lie on the rail lines as firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Pope Francis offered condolences to the families of the dead in a message sent to the president of the Greek bishops conference by the Vaticans secretary of state. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy, and we will do all that's in our power so that something like this never happens again, Mitsotakis said. Images showed him holding his hands up to his face in disbelief and horror at the scene. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. 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. Windows were shattering and people were screaming, one survivor of the crash said. Visiting the accident scene, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. Weather 0C Monday -4 | -2C Tuesday -7 | -4C Wednesday -9 | -3C To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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. Read Boulevard. Rescue workers in Greece frantically searched for survivors through flattened carriages and smoking wreckage on Wednesday after a high-speed, head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train killed at least 38 people and injured scores of others in what appeared to be the countrys deadliest rail accident. 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. GREECE, N.Y. (WROC) Authorities investigated a rollover crash near the area of English Road and Mt. He used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. (Vaggelis Kousioras/AP), Firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. TEMPE, Greece A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed, he said. 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Contact Victoria Freileat vfreile@gannett.com. 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. 'This is the hardest thing, instead of saving lives we have to dig out bodies.'. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed before midnight Tuesday with an oncoming freight train. Vasileios Vathrakoyiannis, a spokesman for the fire service, said at a televised briefing that the rescue operation was currently concentrated on the two first carriages of the passenger train, which have overturned.. As night fell on Wednesday, the acrid smell of charred metal hung heavy in the cold night air as a huge red crane lifted a hulk of blackened, twisted metal from the wrecked train carriages. Green vehicles: which motorisation for which use? Michael R. Wood was named as the new chief of the Greece Police Departmentthe day Forsythe pleaded guilty. The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. 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. Read Boulevard and Dorsey Road/Vintage Lane. Dozens dead after devastating train crash in Greece New York Daily News Train debris lies on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 The fire department had earlier increased the death toll to 47, adding that 57 people were still hospitalised, six of them in intensive care, while several were missing. That investigation is still in progress. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. All your travel news: our automobile, motorcycle and tyre tips and good deals, routes, traffic updates and road network flashes, motoring services on your route and future innovations. (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. Multiple train cars derailed and at least three caught fire after the crash, which officials said took place just before midnight near Tempe, a small town about 235 miles north of Athens. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greeces Skai Television the two trains collided head-on at high speed. If you dont receive the email, please contact us via this form, API ViaMichelin - Itineraries, Geocoding, Traffic, Mapping, Michelin POI. (George Kidonas/AP), Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Hellenic Train, which operates all of Greece's passenger and cargo trains, including those that collided, offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the victims' families. The countrys railway officials have been aware of the issue. This is indicated in the route summary. 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. To complete your registration, click on the link in the email that we have just sent you. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. The crash occurred at 1:30 p.m. Greece police and North Greece firefighters first responded to the scene, but turned the investigation over to the State Police. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. As 85 people were taken to hospitals with injuries, Mr. Mitsotakis hurried to visit the site and trepidation grew about a rising death toll. Many of the passengers were college students and other young people, Greeces health minister, Thanos Plevris, told reporters. This year was the first time the festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The impact just before midnight Tuesday threw some passengers into ceilings and out the windows. Greece Police News 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' Details are limited at this time. '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. Greece is expected to hold a general election in the coming weeks, probably in early April. Two women, Elisavet, 60, and Georgia, 59, were sitting on the steps outside the hospital awaiting word about their sister, who worked as a ticket inspector and had been on the Athens-Thessaloniki train. 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