Train Head-On Collision in Greece... 40 Dead, 85 Injured

On the 28th of last month (local time), a tragic accident occurred in central Greece where two trains collided, resulting in at least 40 deaths and 85 injuries.

According to foreign media including the UK's The Guardian, just before midnight, a passenger train near Larisa in the Thessaly region of central Greece collided head-on with an oncoming freight train, causing some passenger cars to derail and fires to break out in at least three cars.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Guardian reported that the passenger train had departed from the capital Athens heading towards Thessaloniki, carrying 342 passengers and 10 crew members.

Kostas Agorastos, Governor of Thessaly, explained, "The first and second cars no longer exist due to the accident, and the third car derailed."

Local police and fire authorities stated that so far, 40 people have died from the accident, and among the 85 injured, 66 have been transported to nearby hospitals. Six are in critical condition and are receiving treatment in intensive care units.

At the time of the accident, some passengers were thrown out of the train due to the strong impact, and some bodies were found 30 to 40 meters away from the accident site.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that no Korean casualties have been confirmed or reported so far due to the collision.

As search operations are still ongoing at the scene, the number of casualties is expected to rise. Greek public broadcaster ERT stated that the fate of 50 to 60 people remains unconfirmed.

Greek police have launched an investigation into the cause of the train collision and arrested the Larisa stationmaster on charges of negligent homicide. Police believe the stationmaster gave incorrect track change instructions to the train drivers, causing both trains to run on the same track and collide.

Greece's aging railway system has also been pointed out as a cause of the accident. Major foreign media noted that the railway signals were not functioning at the time of the accident and that many areas lack automatic signaling systems.

Kostas Karamanlis, Minister of Transport, took responsibility for the accident and resigned. President Sakellopoulou, who was visiting Moldova, canceled her scheduled itinerary and returned home.

The Greek government declared a national mourning period until the 3rd and decided to fly flags at half-mast on all public buildings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.