At least 32 people were killed in a fiery head-on train crash in northern Greece.

A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train early Wednesday in northern Greece, killing several people and injuring many more. Fire officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured after multiple train cars derailed and caught fire near Tempe, about 235 miles north of Athens. Rescue crews used floodlights to illuminate the scene before dawn on Wednesday as they frantically searched the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors. According to survivors, the impact threw several passengers through the train cars' windows. Others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled and slammed into a field next to the tracks near a gorge about 235 miles north of Athens with major highway and rail tunnels. "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who was one of the first people on the scene. "Both passenger and freight trains were completely destroyed." He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear cars as he arrived. "Naturally, people were scared — very scared," he said. "They were looking around, trying to figure out where they were." The trains collided just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that divides Thessaly and Macedonia. Thessaly regional governor Costas Agorastos told Greece's Skai television that the two trains collided head on at high speed. The trains collided just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that divides Thessaly and Macedonia. Thessaly regional governor Costas Agorastos told Greece's Skai television that the two trains collided head on at high speed. "Carriages one and two are no longer operational, and the third has derailed," he explained. Rescuers wearing headlamps searched for trapped people by pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars. Others combed the field with flashlights, looking beneath the wreckage. Several bodies are thought to have been discovered in the restaurant area near the front of the passenger train.

 

"The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for the Fire Service. He said hospital units used to treat burn victims in the area had been notified, and that dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort. "It was a very strong collision. This is a bad night... "It's difficult to describe the scene," Agorastos previously told state-run television. "The train's front section was smashed... Cranes and special lifting equipment are being brought in to clear the debris and lift the rail cars. The crash site is littered with debris." According to government officials, the army has been contacted to assist in the rescue. The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Police were questioning two rail officials, but they were not detained. Passengers with minor injuries or who were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 80 miles north. As they arrived, police took their names in an effort to locate anyone who might be missing. 

A teen survivor who did not want to be identified told reporters that just before the crash, he felt strong braking and saw sparks before coming to a sudden stop. "Our carriage did not derail, but the ones ahead of us did and were smashed," he said, visibly shaken. He went on to say that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his fourth car and escape. The northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, was carrying approximately 350 passengers, according to rail operator Hellenic Train.

By Covenantblog