A tragic train collision in the Northern region of Greece has taken at least 32 lives and injured 85 people. It has left many in shock and mourning.
The horrific scene of the train collision near Tempi, 235 miles north of Athens, saw several carriages derailed and at least three of them catching fire, making the two passenger trains “nightmarish” and “panic-filled.”
The rescue efforts were daunting, with ambulances being called from multiple towns. To support the multiple survivors, buses transported them to Thessaloniki, with hospital units specializing in burns treatment were put on alert.
Pictures on the state-owned public broadcaster ERT depicted smoke billowing from the overturned train cars in addition to a long line of emergency vehicles near them.
Vassilis Varthakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Greek Fire Service, provided a statement on television in which he revealed that a passenger train containing more than 350 individuals had collided with a freight train on Tuesday night in the vicinity of Tempi, near the city of Larissa in central Greece.
It was reported that the passenger train was in transit from Athens to Thessaloniki.
Ioannis Artopoios, a representative of the Greek Fire Service, declared to Greek TV that search and rescue operations are taking place with an expectation for the death toll to increase.
The Greek government has promised to launch an investigation into the cause of the collision and to take all necessary steps to guarantee the safety of train passengers in the future; however, they are still uncertain of what brought the two trains together. The tragedy reminds us of the importance of safety measures and further investigation into the causes of such accidents.
