29 killed after trains collide in Greece

A head-on collision between a passenger and cargo train happened in Greece, leaving at least 29 people dead and dozens injured.

The crash took place outside the central city of Larissa late on Tuesday when a passenger train heading from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a cargo train travelling from Thessaloniki.

Three carriages were derailed and exploded in flames.

“At least 29 people have been found dead so far,” fire services spokesman spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told the media at a press conference.

The circumstances of the crash, which took place just before midnight, remain unclear and rescue efforts are continuing at the site.

At least 85 people were hurt, officials said.

“The collision was very strong,” Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the Thessaly region told SKAI TV, adding the first four carriages of the passenger train had derailed, while the first two carriages were “almost completely destroyed”.

Agorastos said about 250 passengers, some with minor injuries, had been evacuated safely by bus to Thessaloniki about 130 kilometres (80 miles) away.

SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages with cargo containers flipped over and crash debris strewn across the road. Rescue workers with high-powered torches and were searching through the wreckage for trapped passengers. One train carriage was completely crushed, making the rescuers’ work particularly difficult.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. It’s tragic. Five hours later, we are finding bodies,” an exhausted rescuer said as he emerged from a carriage.

Hospital units used to treat burn victims in the area had been alerted, and dozens of ambulances dispatched to the scene.

“There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming,” a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV.

A passenger named Lazos told the newspaper Protothema that the experience had been “very shocking”.

“I wasn’t hurt but I was stained with blood from other people who were hurt near me,” he said.

An emergency government meeting was organised after the crash, and Greek health minister Thanos Plevris has gone to the scene._Al Jazeera