TEMPE, Greece
Officials said a passenger train in Greece carrying hundreds of people collided with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in the country’s north early Wednesday, killing 29 and injuring at least 85.
Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens.
Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries.
“The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under tough conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greece’s firefighting service.
Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They told others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks.
Rescuers wearing headlamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage.