A tragic train crash that killed
at least 26 people
and injured 85 others shocked Greece on Tuesday.
The accident occurred near the city of Lárisa, in the center of the country, between a formation that had 350 passengers on board, and a convoy that was transporting goods.
"At least 26 people have been found dead so far," a spokesman for the Greek fire brigade told a news conference, noting that the rescue operation was still underway.
In that direction, he added that "
85 people were injured
and were taken to surrounding hospitals."
He confirmed, in parallel, that three carriages of the train traveling between Athens and Thessaloniki
derailed
, causing the head-on collision near Tempe, some 380 kilometers north of Athens.
According to local television,
one of the wagons caught fire and several people were trapped
.
According to the ANA press agency, the fire was brought under control overnight by firefighters.
Smoke billows from train carriages as firefighters and rescuers work after a train crash near the city of Larissa, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)
The governor of the region, Kostas Agorastros, assured that "it was a very strong shock" and declared that "more than 250 passengers were transferred by bus to Thessaloniki."
"Unfortunately,
the number of wounded and dead is at risk of being high
," he added.
Against this background, the Greek government organized a crisis meeting after the event.
Thirty ambulances arrived at the crash site to treat the multiple injured, who were taken to Larisa City University Hospital and Katerinis City Hospital.
In addition to the firefighters, the Police and the Army were mobilized to help in the rescue tasks, and activated an alert protocol as planned in the event of this type of accident.
Lazos, a passenger questioned by the Protothema newspaper, declared: "We have experienced something very shocking."
"I'm not hurt, but I'm
stained with the blood of other people
who were hurt next to me," he said.
Train crashes in Croatia and Pakistan
At least three dead and 11 injured was the balance left by the tragic accident involving a passenger train and a cargo train in September last year, in the central region of Croatia.
As indicated by the local police through a statement, the collision took place near the town of Novska, which is located near the border with Bosnia.
"
The impact was enormous
," said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who immediately went to the crash site along with other officials. He also confirmed that the lifeless bodies of three people were found at the crash site. .
The passenger train ran on a local line and carried 13 passengers, while only the engineer was traveling on the freight train, Plenkovic said.
Fatal train crash in Croatia.
AP photo.
Another history of tragic train crashes was recorded in June 2022 in Pakistan.
Three people were killed and dozens injured when two passenger trains collided after a derailment in a remote part of the southern Sindh province.
With information from agencies.
IS
look also
Diamonds are saved from sanctions against Moscow for the war: what is behind a million-dollar trade
The United States prohibits its officials from using TikTok and another battle with China opens
