It was a tragic train accident that took place in Greece on Tuesday evening. The derailment of a train traveling between Athens and Thessaloniki left at least 26 dead and 85 injured, according to firefighters. The rescue operation is still ongoing.
According to preliminary information, three wagons derailed at the level of the city of Larissa, in the center of the country, after the collision between a freight train and another convoy carrying 350 passengers. One of the wagons caught fire and several people were trapped according to the public television channel Ert.
Some 40 firefighters on site
The police, 40 firefighters and about 30 ambulances went to the scene of the accident. On the Skai television channel, Kostas Agorastos, the governor of the region, said that “more than 250 passengers were transferred by bus to Thessaloniki”.
A government crisis meeting was organised. The two hospitals in the Larissa region have been requisitioned to accommodate the many injured, according to local media Onlarissa.