At least 43 killed, dozens injured in Greece's deadliest train crash
Rail accident involving a collision between a cargo and a passenger train on March 1 in the Evangelismos area of Larissa, Greece. Photo: STRINGER/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
At least 43 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in northern Greece on Wednesday local time after a passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train, AP reports.
The big picture: Multiple train cars derailed and caught fire near the city of Larissa, about 235 miles north of Athens in the deadliest train crash in Greece's history.
- The passenger train carrying about 350 people was headed from Athens to Thessaloniki when it collided just before midnight Wednesday.
The latest: Fire Service spokesman Vasilios Varthakoyiannis said Wednesday night local time that of the 72 passengers hospitalized, 57 remain in the hospital including six in the Intensive Care Unit.
- Varthakoyiannis said that search and extrication operations will "continue overnight" into Thursday.
- The Larissa Traffic Department arrested a 59-year-old citizen, according to Hellenic Police spokesperson and second constable Constantia Dimoglidou.
- The suspect is allegedly a male stationmaster in Larissa, who oversees rail traffic, according to AP.
What they're saying: Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the central Thessaly area, said on state television that “it was a very powerful collision."
- “The front section of the train was smashed. ... We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There’s debris flung all around the crash site.”
- "Everything in this tragedy points unfortunately, mainly to human error," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address, Reuters reports.
- Railway operator Hellenic Train said it "expresses its deep sorrow for the tragic accident" and "with a sense of responsibility, informs that its primary and exclusive concern at this time is the care and smooth completion of the evacuation operation."
Zoom out: Greece's Transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned over the crash, citing the state's "long-standing failures" to fix an outdated railway system, per Reuters.
- Protests erupted in Athens at the offices of Hellenic Train with several protestors throwing stones at windows and clashing with police.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.