It was not immediately clear what led to the crash, which happened as the passenger train traveled from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki just before midnight on Tuesday. Former Greece Police Chief Andrew Forsythe last month pleaded guilty to driving while ability impairedand admitting that he was intoxicated when he crashed into a guardrail andtotaled his town-issued sport utility vehicle on Route 390 on Oct. 21. Hopes of finding anyone still alive in the wreckage more than 34 hours later appeared slim. People donate blood for the injured passengers of the train collision in Larissa, about 355 kilometers (222 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Subscribe to the Michelin newsletter. In 2019, the European Data Journalism Network, a group of media organizations, reported that from 2010 to 2018, 137 people had died and 97 were seriously injured in railway accidents in Greece, with an average of more than 15 deaths and 11 serious injuries per year. Many kicked through windows to escape the inferno in the stricken carriages where temperatures reached 1,300 degrees C. Others were flung up to 40 metres out of their seats on impact. We've received your submission. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The priority now is to nurse the injured and support the families who have lost their loved ones. Students take part in a protest following a deadly train accident on February 28, 2023, near the city of Larissa, central Greece where 38 people died, outside the Firefighters collect bodies after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of passengers. Health Minister Thanos Plevris said most passengers were 'young people', with the train carrying many students returning to Thessaloniki after a long holiday weekend. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Published Feb. 28, 2023 Updated March 1, 2023, 2:25 a.m. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Police are currently investigating a car crash that occurred early Sunday evening in the Town of Greece. Seventeen biological samples have been collected from remains, and from 23 relatives seeking a match, the police said. Images showed him holding his hands up to his face in disbelief and horror at the scene. Greek news media reported that the station manager had directed the freight train onto the same track as the passenger train, but the authorities declined to confirm or deny those reports. WebGreece Police Headquarters 6 Vince Tofany Blvd. Greece police called on state police shortly before 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to investigate the crash. Outside the Larissa General Hospital, where most of the injured were being treated and coroners were working to identify the dead, relatives awaited news about missing loved ones. 'The collision was like a huge earthquake.'. It was not immediately clear what the circumstances were that led to the crash in northern Greece. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Published Feb. 28, 2023 Updated March 1, 2023, 2:25 a.m. As night fell on Wednesday, the acrid smell of charred metal hung heavy in the cold night air as a huge red crane lifted a hulk of blackened, twisted metal from the wrecked train carriages. That investigation is still in progress. This is an indescribable tragedy, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said, adding that 500 workers from emergency services were at the scene of the crash. While the track is double, both trains were traveling in opposite directions on the same line near the Vale of Tempe, a river valley about 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. Our data illustrates traffic conditions on the road and traffic conditions on the motorways in real time. public events). Emergency workers used cranes and other heavy machinery to move large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. (George Kidonas/AP), Firefighters collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The department, which oversees public safety in Monroe County's most populatedtown,has approximately 100 sworn officers. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of passengers. Forsythe, who served as chief for less than a year, resigned from his job several days after the crash. In an open letter published last month, train staff said track safety systems were incomplete and poorly maintained. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. Its unlikely there will be survivors, but hope dies last, rescuer Nikos Zygouris said. She told me, Were on fire. Experts noted that the country already had the worst record for rail safety in Europe and that endemic problems of maintenance had not been addressed for decades, even before austerity measures enforced by Europe after Greeces 2009 financial crisis led to drastic budget cuts. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. ViaMichelin provides details of incidents that may affect road traffic in Greece that include: road closures, lane restrictions, accidents, roadworks, weather, special events (e.g. Emma Bubola contributed reporting from London, and Monika Pronczuk from Brussels. No arrests or injuries were reported. Authorities arrested the stationmaster at the trains last stop, in the city of Larissa. A safety supervisor had resigned last year, warning that infrastructure upgrades pending since 2016 were incomplete and that train speeds of up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) an hour were unsafe. Visiting the accident scene, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. It was the countrys deadliest rail crash on record. The fire service said there had been 342 passengers and 10 railway staff members on the passenger train, and two people on the freight train. Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas. A spokeswoman for the Greek police, Constantina Dimoglidou, said that the process of identifying the dead had begun, and she asked relatives of passengers to call a hotline for information. The second driver was not injured in the crash, troopers said. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed before midnight Tuesday with an oncoming freight train. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Worst-case scenario: Satellite, rocket body miss collision by only 20 feet, Chilling video shows passenger warning chopper pilot before fatal crash, Recently married couple among 4 killed in Australia chopper horror, NYC woman killed by hit-and-run driver after falling out of boyfriends car. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. In those three and a half years we made every effort to improve this reality. Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece. Town Supervisor Bill Reilich requested an external investigation. He said it was a 'terrible train accident without precedent' in Greece which would be 'fully' investigated. Read Boulevard and Dorsey Road/Vintage Lane. Greece, New York 14612-5030 Get Directions Phone: 585-865-9200 This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. He said it appeared the crash was mainly due to a tragic human error, but did not elaborate. The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), Debris of trains lie on the rail lines as firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Electric, hybrid and alternative fuels: what are the different advantages and limitations? You can also transfer your calculated routes from your computer to the app: to do this, you must save it in your Favourites via your Michelin account. The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. Greece police officers responded to the scene around 4:36 p.m., and found three cars were involved in the crash. In some cases, passengers are being identified from body parts, volunteer fireman Vassilis Iliopoulos said, warning that the death toll would rise. Pope Francis offered condolences to the families of the dead in a message sent to the president of the Greek bishops conference by the Vaticans secretary of state. public events). At least 38 people are dead in Tempe, Greece after a passenger train carrying hundreds of people struck an oncoming Michael R. Wood was named as the new chief of the Greece Police Departmentthe day Forsythe pleaded guilty. They wont tell us anything, she added, drawing deeply on a cigarette. Fire service and police officers warned reporters to stay behind a cordon as rescue workers helped them to retrieve the latest grim discovery from the melded train engines. The fire department had earlier increased the death toll to 47, adding that 57 people were still hospitalised, six of them in intensive care, while several were missing. Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision of the passenger train and a freight train a horrific rail accident without precedent in our country, and pledged a full, independent investigation. Survivors described scenes of horror, with the impact sending passengers hurtling through train car windows or trapping them under buckled cars. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis makes statements to the media during his visit at the location of a collision of the train in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. WebGreece, NY (August 16, 2022) At least one person sustained various injuries on Tuesday evening, August 16 th, after an automobile accident in the town of Greece. Firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The comments below have not been moderated. Karamanlis resigned Wednesday, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down. But experts and critics quickly raised their voices on Wednesday. This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend, said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. WebNewsBreak provides latest and breaking Greece, NY local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other The European Union Agency for Railways is responsible for setting up safety standards in collaboration with the national authorities and for monitoring and reporting on rail safety across the bloc. WebStay current with all the latest and breaking news from Greece, New York, compare headlines and perspectives between news sources on stories happening today. 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