Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter | At least 43 were killed and dozens of people are injured in an un-

imaginable tragedy after a head-on collision between two trains in in Tempi, near the city of Larissa, the

central Greece, has left strewn carriages, explosion into flames, huge sheets of steel into the air and heaps of

debris in its wake. 

“Most of the student casualties seated in the front two carriages of the passenger train, was being completely destroyed” said witnesses who rushed to the scene.

The Greek Fire Service said, “57 people were being treated for their injuries in hospital, with six in intensive

care units (ICU).”

Earlier, Vassilis Varthakogiannis, the Greek Fire Service spokesman said, “194 passengers had been taken safely to Thessaloniki and 20 people transferred by bus to the city of Larissa.”

“At least 150 firefighters including special rescue units with 17 vehicles and 30 ambulances were involved in

the rescue operation. The search and rescue operations would continue through the night.” Varthakogiannis

added 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the collision was “mainly” due “to tragic human error.”

“Dozens of our fellow citizens, most of them young people, lost their lives there, in a horrible train incident,

unprecedented in our country.” 

Greece’s president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, said in a statement. “We find ourselves in front of an unimagin-

able tragedy. We are mainly mourning young people.”

The tragic incident happened at 11.20 pm on Tuesday outside the town of Tempe after the Thessaloniki-

bound night train carrying 342 passengers, had set out from Athens, inexplicably switched lanes and diverged to the freight track, collided with the other freight train transporting cargo from Thessaloniki to Larissa, Greece’s second-largest city. The two trains traveled for several kilometers along the same track before colliding at

high speed.

After the collision, wagons exploded into flames, sending huge sheets of steel into the air.

The Greek railway company, Hellenic Train, said in a press release that there was “a head-on collision between two trains: a freight train and train IC 62 which had departed from Athens to Thessaloniki.”

Condolences poured in from across the world, as Greek government officials declared a three-day mourning period with flag at half-staff starting Wednesday.

Pakistan extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to the Government and people of Hellenic Republic over the loss of precious lives in the tragic train accident near the city of Larissa, Greece. We pray for the quick recovery of those injured.” read the statement issued by the foreign ministry Pakistan.