(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Rescue workers are in a desperate search for survivors after a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece killed dozens of people and injured scores.
At least 36 people were killed when a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train on Tuesday evening, shortly before midnight, in Tempi, central Greece, near the city of Larissa, the Greek Fire Service said.
It added that 66 people were being treated for their injuries in hospital, with six in intensive care units.
The two trains involved in the fatal collision were traveling on the same track for many kilometers before the incident occurred, state-owned public broadcaster ERT reported Wednesday. The passenger train had changed lanes and switched to a cargo track before it collided head-on with a freight train, according to ERT.
The process of identifying victims has also begun, Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris said early on Wednesday.
Speaking outside the hospital in Larissa, Plevris said: “As you understand this is a terrifying process for parents and relatives who are here. We will help them as much as we can.”
He said there were “some difficulties” in the identification process, but added that, “Those injured are in relatively good condition.”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is heading to the scene of the collision, his office confirmed to CNN Wednesday.
