A collision between a freight train and a passenger train traveling between Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece, left at least 26 dead and 85 injured on Tuesday evening, February 28, according to firefighters. Three wagons derailed at the town of Larissa and one of them caught fire. Two hospitals have been requisitioned.
A terrible train accident occurred on the evening of Tuesday, February 28. A freight train and a passenger train traveling between the capital Athens and the port city of Thessaloniki collided. 350 people were on board the second.
The first assessment is heavy. ” At least 26 people have been found dead so far “, announced a spokesperson for the Greek firefighters at a press conference, specifying that the rescue operation was still in progress. ” 85 people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals “, he added.
The spokesman confirmed that three wagons derailed at the level of the city of Larissa, capital of the outskirts of Thessaly, in the center of the country, after the collision between a freight train and another convoy. One of the carriages caught fire and several people became trapped, according to the public television channel Ert.
On the TV channel leatheretteKostas Agorastos, the governor of the region, said that “ more than 250 passengers were transferred by bus to Thessaloniki “. ” Unfortunately, the number of injured and dead is likely to be high “, he continued.
A government crisis meeting was organised. The two hospitals in the Larissa region have been requisitioned to accommodate the many injured, according to local media Onlarissa.
(With AFP)