Several wagons caught fireplace. The accident occurred about 350 kilometers north of Athens.
According to rescue employees, at the very least 32 folks died and greater than 80 have been injured in a practice accident in Greece. A collision between a passenger practice and a freight practice occurred on the route between Athens and Thessaloniki. Several wagons derailed and a few caught fireplace.
Fire division spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis mentioned the seek for survivors was persevering with. The evacuation of passengers takes place in very tough circumstances, because the collision of the 2 trains was very severe. “Most of the injured have head injuries, broken pelvises, arms and legs. Unfortunately, there are numerous people who are still in the rubble,” a member of a rescue workforce advised reporters on the scene.
Panic within the wagons
According to the governor of the Thessaly area, Konstantinos Agorastos, the 2 trains collided head-on. The first two wagons have been “almost completely destroyed” by the impression.
Several derailed wagons with damaged home windows and thick clouds of smoke have been seen on TV. Debris lay on the road. In the wagons, rescue employees looked for trapped passengers with torches. A complete of 150 emergency providers and 40 ambulances have been deployed thus far. Cranes have been additionally despatched to the scene of the accident.
“There was panic in the wagons, people were screaming,” mentioned a younger man who was evacuated to a close-by bridge. About 250 passengers have been delivered to Thessaloniki by bus, mentioned Governor Agorastos. Greek media communicate of the “worst train accident in the history of the country”.
Route modernized in recent times
The accident occurred simply earlier than midnight on the busiest Greek railway line close to the town of Larissa. According to the Greek railway firm, there have been about 350 passengers and 20 railway employees within the passenger practice. The practice, the Intercity 62, began at 7:22 p.m. in Athens in the direction of Thessaloniki.
The reason behind the accident remains to be unclear. The railway chief answerable for the affected Athens-Thessaloniki route had been arrested, reported state tv. The route has been modernized in recent times. The Greek railways (Hellenic Train) are operated by the Italian state railway Ferroviaria dello Stato Italiano (FS).
Traffic management issues
Railway employees mentioned on the Greek broadcaster Real FM that, regardless of the modernization, there have been important issues with {the electrical} coordination of site visitors management. “We’re driving from one section of the line to another by radio like in the old days. The station managers give us the green light,” mentioned Kostas Genidounias, president of the practice drivers’ union on state radio. He was unable to say why that is taking place and why no trendy management system works.
Source: www.nationalturk.com
