At least 38 killed as trains collide in Greece

By Sophie Tanno, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 2305 GMT (0705 HKT) March 1, 2023
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2:04 p.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Death toll rises to 38 following Greece train collision

From CNN's Chris Liakos

People light candles and lay flowers outside of the railway station of Larissa to pay tribute to the victims of a train accident in Greece on March 1.
People light candles and lay flowers outside of the railway station of Larissa to pay tribute to the victims of a train accident in Greece on March 1. (Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images)

At least 38 people have been killed after two trains collided in Greece Tuesday night, the Greek Fire Service said Wednesday.

Greek Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis said that at least 38 people were killed and that of the 72 injured people, 57 remained in hospitals. Six of them are in intensive care.

He added that search and rescue operations will continue through the night. At least 72 firefighters with 24 vehicles are on the scene.

DNA samples are being used to identify the dead, Greek police spokesperson Constantia Dimoglidou said at the briefing.

What we know so far about the crash: Earlier on Wednesday, a station manager of a train station in the city of Larissa was arrested in connection to the collision. The 59-year-old man was charged with mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence, the Larissa police department said.

Meanwhile, in central Athens clashes erupted between protesters and police officers outside the headquarters of Greek rail company, Hellenic Train, following calls for demonstrations.

1:53 p.m. ET, March 1, 2023

"Tragic human error" caused fatal train collision, Greek prime minister says 

From CNN’s Chris Liakos

Rescuers operate next to debris of a train after a crash near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.
Rescuers operate next to debris of a train after a crash near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1. (Costas Baltas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the fatal train collision, which left dozens dead and wounded, was due “to tragic human error.”

In a televised address following his return from the crash site near the city of Larissa earlier today, Mitsotakis said that the decision of the Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis to resign was honorable.

“His stance honors him, as everything shows that the drama is unfortunately due to mainly tragic human error,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the heads of Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) and its subsidiary ERGOSE have also submitted their resignations.

The Greek prime minister said that during his visit at the hospital in Larissa, where many of the injured are being treated, he met relatives of the dead and the missing. “They asked me 'why.' And they told me 'never again.' We owe them an honest answer," he said.

1:06 p.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Greek prime minister vows to find out cause of fatal train collision

From CNN's Chris Liakos

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed earlier Wednesday to find out what caused a train collision near the city of Larissa that left at least 36 people dead and dozens injured. 

“It is very difficult what we are experiencing today as a country. We are talking about an unspeakable tragedy,” Mitsotakis told reporters during his visit at the crash site. “One thing I can guarantee: we will find out the causes of this tragedy and do everything in our power to make sure this never happens again.”

The Greek prime minister said that his thoughts are “first and foremost with the relatives of the victims," and added that the country's duty is to treat the injured and identify the dead.

What we know: According to information from rail company, Hellenic Train, 342 passengers and 10 staff members were aboard the passenger train and two staff members were aboard the freight train when they collided just before midnight, about four hours north of Athens.

12:29 p.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Station manager arrested following Greece train collision

From CNN’s Chris Liakos

An overview shows the site of the crash near Larissa, Greece, on March 1.
An overview shows the site of the crash near Larissa, Greece, on March 1. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)

Greek authorities have arrested the station manager of a train station in the city of Larissa on Wednesday in connection with the train collision that left at least 36 people dead, Greek police told CNN on Wednesday.

A 59-year-old man has been arrested by the Larissa police department as part of the preliminary investigation carried out regarding the collision between a passenger train and a freight train, Greek police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou said on Wednesday.

The Larissa police department told CNN that the man was arrested earlier on Wednesday and is being held in Larissa. He is expected to appear before a prosecutor.

10:09 a.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Photos capture the devastation of the deadly Greek train crash

From CNN's Sarah Tilotta

Overhead photos and images captured from the ground show the mangled wreckage of two trains that collided near Larissa, Greece, on Tuesday night. 

At least 36 people were killed when a train carrying more than 350 collided with a freight train. At least 66 people were being treated for their injuries in hospitals.

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has visited the site of the deadly crash.

Emergency responders work at the site where a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in Tempi, central Greece, near the city of Larissa.
Emergency responders work at the site where a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in Tempi, central Greece, near the city of Larissa. (Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site of the crash.
Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, visits the site of the crash. (Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Rescuers operate at the site of a crash.
Rescuers operate at the site of a crash. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)

A Greek Orthodox priest is pictured at the site of the crash on Wednesday.
A Greek Orthodox priest is pictured at the site of the crash on Wednesday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)

10:14 a.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Greek transport minister resigns after fatal crash, saying rail system "is not up to 21st century standards"

From CNN’s Chris Liakos, Elinda Labropoulou and Allegra Goodwin

Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis, center, views the aftermath of the train collision, along with Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, second right, in Tempi, Greece, on Wednesday.
Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis, center, views the aftermath of the train collision, along with Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, second right, in Tempi, Greece, on Wednesday. (Handout/Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office/AP)

Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis has announced his resignation following a fatal train collision that occurred in Greece Tuesday, state-owned public broadcaster ERT reports.

The crash, which killed at least 36 people, happened four hours north of Athens.

Greece’s railway system is “not up to 21st century standards,” Karamanlis said Wednesday in his resignation speech.

“It is a fact that we received the Greek railway system in a state that is not up to 21st century standards,” he said, adding that in the last three-and-a-half years the government had “made every effort to improve this reality,” he said.

“Unfortunately, our efforts have not been sufficient to prevent such a bad incident. And this is very heavy for all of us and me personally,” he added. 

“I hand in my resignation as Transport and Infrastructure Minister. It is what I feel is my responsibility to do as the minimum sign of respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly.”
9:22 a.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Here's where the train crash happened in Greece

At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured when a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train in Greece, according to the Greek Fire Service.

It occurred in Tempi, located in central Greece, near the city of Larissa, officials said.

Here's a look at where the crash happened:

6:15 a.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Passengers on Greek train that crashed on Tuesday night describe "nightmarish seconds"

From CNN's Sophie Tanno

The site of the crash is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1.
The site of the crash is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, on March 1. (Giannis Floulis/Reuters)

Passengers on the Greek train that crashed into a freight train in northern Greece on Tuesday night have described "nightmarish seconds" as the carriage overturned.

“We heard a big bang, (it was) 10 nightmarish seconds, we were turning over in the wagon until we fell on our sides, and until the commotion stopped, then there was panic, cables (everywhere) fire, the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,” Stergios Minenis, 28, told Reuters news agency.

"There was panic, for 10, 15 seconds it was chaos, tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped, it was two metres high from where we jumped to leave and beneath there were broken iron debris, but what could we do?”

Another passenger, pointing at Minenis, said: "We came down, a fire had erupted next to us, this man here he saw a hole, so we managed to get out from where we were."

5:35 a.m. ET, March 1, 2023

Mainly young people on board Greek train, hospital chief says after fatal collision

From CNN's Elinda Labropoulou and Allegra Goodwin

Passengers arrive at Thessaloniki Railway Station after being rescued from the scene of the train collision,  on March 1.
Passengers arrive at Thessaloniki Railway Station after being rescued from the scene of the train collision, on March 1. (Konstantinos Tsakalidis/SOOC/AFP/Getty Images)

Most of the passengers involved in a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece Tuesday were young, the head of the intensive care unit (ICU) at a nearby hospital told state-owned public broadcaster ERT Wednesday.

“Most of the people on board were young,” Apostolos Komnos, Head of ICU at Larissa General Hospital, where those with injuries are being treated, told the broadcaster. 

The death toll from the train collision now stands at 36, the Greek Fire Service said.

Rescuers are in the process of identifying the dead, Greek Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis said in an updated briefing. About 150 firefighters and first responders are working on site.