At least 38 killed as trains collide in Greece

People light candles and lay flowers outside of the railway station of Larissa to pay tribute to the victims of a train accident in Greece on March 1.

At least 38 people have been killed after two trains collided in Greece Tuesday night, the Greek Fire Service said Wednesday.

Greek Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis said that at least 38 people were killed and that of the 72 injured people, 57 remained in hospitals. Six of them are in intensive care.

He added that search and rescue operations will continue through the night. At least 72 firefighters with 24 vehicles are on the scene.

DNA samples are being used to identify the dead, Greek police spokesperson Constantia Dimoglidou said at the briefing.

What we know so far about the crash: Earlier on Wednesday, a station manager of a train station in the city of Larissa was arrested in connection to the collision. The 59-year-old man was charged with mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence, the Larissa police department said.

Meanwhile, in central Athens clashes erupted between protesters and police officers outside the headquarters of Greek rail company, Hellenic Train, following calls for demonstrations.

Rescuers operate next to debris of a train after a crash near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the fatal train collision, which left dozens dead and wounded, was due “to tragic human error.”

In a televised address following his return from the crash site near the city of Larissa earlier today, Mitsotakis said that the decision of the Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis to resign was honorable.

“His stance honors him, as everything shows that the drama is unfortunately due to mainly tragic human error,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the heads of Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) and its subsidiary ERGOSE have also submitted their resignations.

The Greek prime minister said that during his visit at the hospital in Larissa, where many of the injured are being treated, he met relatives of the dead and the missing. “They asked me ‘why.’ And they told me ‘never again.’ We owe them an honest answer,” he said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed earlier Wednesday to find out what caused a train collision near the city of Larissa that left at least 36 people dead and dozens injured. 

The Greek prime minister said that his thoughts are “first and foremost with the relatives of the victims,” and added that the country’s duty is to treat the injured and identify the dead.

What we know: According to information from rail company, Hellenic Train, 342 passengers and 10 staff members were aboard the passenger train and two staff members were aboard the freight train when they collided just before midnight, about four hours north of Athens.

An overview shows the site of the crash near Larissa, Greece, on March 1.

Greek authorities have arrested the station manager of a train station in the city of Larissa on Wednesday in connection with the train collision that left at least 36 people dead, Greek police told CNN on Wednesday.

A 59-year-old man has been arrested by the Larissa police department as part of the preliminary investigation carried out regarding the collision between a passenger train and a freight train, Greek police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou said on Wednesday.

The Larissa police department told CNN that the man was arrested earlier on Wednesday and is being held in Larissa. He is expected to appear before a prosecutor.

Overhead photos and images captured from the ground show the mangled wreckage of two trains that collided near Larissa, Greece, on Tuesday night. 

At least 36 people were killed when a train carrying more than 350 collided with a freight train. At least 66 people were being treated for their injuries in hospitals.

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has visited the site of the deadly crash.

Emergency responders work at the site where a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in Tempi, central Greece, near the city of Larissa.

Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site of the crash.

Rescuers operate at the site of a crash.

A Greek Orthodox priest is pictured at the site of the crash on Wednesday.

Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis, center, views the aftermath of the train collision, along with Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, second right, in Tempi, Greece, on Wednesday.

Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis has announced his resignation following a fatal train collision that occurred in Greece Tuesday, state-owned public broadcaster ERT reports.

The crash, which killed at least 36 people, happened four hours north of Athens.

Greece’s railway system is “not up to 21st century standards,” Karamanlis said Wednesday in his resignation speech.

“It is a fact that we received the Greek railway system in a state that is not up to 21st century standards,” he said, adding that in the last three-and-a-half years the government had “made every effort to improve this reality,” he said.

“Unfortunately, our efforts have not been sufficient to prevent such a bad incident. And this is very heavy for all of us and me personally,” he added. 

At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured when a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train in Greece, according to the Greek Fire Service.

It occurred in Tempi, located in central Greece, near the city of Larissa, officials said.

Here’s a look at where the crash happened:

The site of the crash is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.

Passengers on the Greek train that crashed into a freight train in northern Greece on Tuesday night have described “nightmarish seconds” as the carriage overturned.

“We heard a big bang, (it was) 10 nightmarish seconds, we were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides, and until the commotion stopped, then there was panic, cables (everywhere) fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,” Stergios Minenis, 28, told Reuters news agency.

“There was panic, for 10, 15 seconds it was chaos, tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped, it was two metres high from where we jumped to leave and beneath there were broken iron debris, but what could we do?”

Another passenger, pointing at Minenis, said: “We came down, a fire had erupted next to us, this man here he saw a hole, so we managed to get out from where we were.”

Passengers arrive at Thessaloniki Railway Station after being rescued from the scene of the train collision, on March 1.

Most of the passengers involved in a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece Tuesday were young, the head of the intensive care unit (ICU) at a nearby hospital told state-owned public broadcaster ERT Wednesday.

“Most of the people on board were young,” Apostolos Komnos, Head of ICU at Larissa General Hospital, where those with injuries are being treated, told the broadcaster. 

The death toll from the train collision now stands at 36, the Greek Fire Service said.

Rescuers are in the process of identifying the dead, Greek Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis said in an updated briefing. About 150 firefighters and first responders are working on site. 

A flag at the Acropolis flies at half-mast in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, March 1.

Greece has declared a three-day mourning period with flag at half-mast starting Wednesday following the deadly train crash government officials told CNN.

“I understand he (Prime Minister) is very close to the scene and is expected to speak,” Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ team told CNN.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has also announced that she is cutting short a visit to Moldova to return to Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is pictured in Athens, Greece on February 16.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is heading to the scene of a train collision in the area of Tempi, central Greece, his office confirmed to CNN Wednesday. 

At least 36 people have been confirmed dead so far, after two trains collided in Greece on Tuesday night, according to the Greek Fire Service.

The process of identifying victims has begun, Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris said early on Wednesday.

Speaking outside the hospital in Larissa, Plevris said: “As you understand this is a terrifying process for parents and relatives who are here. We will help them as much as we can.”

He said there were “some difficulties” in the identification process, but added that, “Those injured are in relatively good condition.”

More European leaders have expressed their condolences in the wake of Tuesday night’s deadly train crash in Greece.

“Terrible news from Greece where a train collision has claimed dozens of lives,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Twitter.

“I have expressed my condolences to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and wished him and the Greek people great strength at this time. My thoughts are with all the victims and their families.”

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo wrote: “Our thoughts go to the victims and their loved ones of the terrible train accident near Larissa, Greece.

“On behalf of the Belgian government, I have conveyed our condolences and solidarity to Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”

Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania, said on social media: “Our thoughts are with the people of Greece after the deadly train accident.

“Condolences to President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the families of the victims.”

Prime Minister of Latvia, Kriskanis Karins, said: “My deepest condolences to the families of those killed in a terrible train collision near the city Larissa, Greece. Wish speedy recovery to all injured!”

Rescuers operate at the site of a crash near the city of Larissa on Wednesday.

The death toll from the train collision now stands at 36 after officials corrected an earlier announcement that two more people had lost their lives.

Rescuers are in the process of identifying the dead, Greek Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis said in an updated briefing, state-owned public broadcaster ERT reported. About 150 firefighters and first responders are working on site. 

As of now 66 people are being treated in hospital, with six in intensive care.  

Rescuers carry a body at the site of a crash near the city of Larissa on Wednesday morning.

The process of identifying the victims of Tuesday night’s train collision has begun, Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris says.

Speaking outside the hospital in Larissa, a city close to where the two trains collided, Plevris said: “We have started the process of identifying the dead. As you understand this is a terrifying process for parents and relatives who are here. We will help them as much as we can.” 

“There are some difficulties in the identification process… Those injured are in relatively good condition,” Plevris added. 

Rescuers operate at the site of the crash near the city of Larissa on Wednesday morning.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her condolences to the victims of Tuesday night’s fatal train collision in Greece.

“My thoughts are with the people of Greece after the terrible train accident that claimed so many lives last night near Larissa.

“The whole of Europe is mourning with you. I also wish for a speedy recovery for all the injured,” she said on Twitter.

Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said her heart “goes out to the people of Greece” following the incident.

“Sad thoughts after the terrible train accident near Larissa in #Greece,” Colonna wrote on Twitter.

“Dear @NikosDendias, my heart goes out to the people of Greece and express my sincere condolences to the victims and their families.”

Police and emergency crews search the debris of a crushed wagon after a train crash near Larissa on Wednesday morning.

At least 36 people were killed, and more than 85 others were wounded when two trains collided in northern Greece on Tuesday night, the Greek Fire Service says.

A spokesman, Vassilis Varthakogiannis, said in a televised briefing that a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train shortly before midnight local time in the area of Tempi, central Greece, near the city of Larissa.

The passenger train was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki.

Rescuers are still in the process of identifying the dead, Varthakogiannis said in an updated briefing, adding that 150 firefighters and first responders are working on site. 

As of now 66 people are being treated in hospital, with six in intensive care units.  

The collision follows a nationwide carnival at the weekend which ended with a public holiday on Monday.