A passenger train collided with a freight train in Greece Tuesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring at least 85 more.
Smoke could be seen billowing up into the air from the derailed train cars as hundreds of first responders tried to save lives at the scene. The passenger train was said to be carrying about 350 passengers when it hit the freight train.
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The crash happened near the small town of Tempe, about 235 miles north of Athens, the country’s capital and largest city. The train had been traveling from there to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. Many of those wounded with serious injuries were brought to the hospital in the nearby city of Larissa, with officials saying there were at least 25 of them.
“It was 10 nightmarish seconds with fire, you couldn’t see much from the smoke,” a passenger told Greek public broadcaster ERT. “We just heard a bang… the (train) car started spinning, before ending up sideways when we managed to exit,” another said.
Survivors said they saw several passengers thrown through the windows of the train upon impact and saw others fighting to free themselves from debris after the train crashed into a field next to the tracks, per the Associated Press.
The cause of the crash has not yet been identified, and while two rail officials have been questioned by police, they have not been detained. The news outlet said the passenger train was part of Hellenic Train, which is operated by Italy’s FS Group, running rail services in several European countries and has added highspeed services in recent years.
