loading…
Two trains collide in Larissa, Greece, killing 38 people. The cause is due to tragic human error. Photo/REUTERS
LARISSA – Greek Prime Minister (PM) Kyriakos Mitsotakis said “tragic human error” was responsible for collision of two trains which killed 38 people. The deadly crash on Tuesday night was recorded as the country’s worst rail tragedy.
Two carriages were destroyed and a third engulfed in flames when a passenger train and a freight train collided near downtown Larissa, on a route plagued by years of safety warnings.
The fire service added that 57 people were still being treated in hospital, six of them in intensive care, while several others were listed as missing.
“Everything indicates that the drama was, unfortunately, primarily caused by tragic human error,” Mitsotakis said in a televised speech.
He called it a “horrific train accident without precedent” in Greece that will be fully investigated.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said a rescue worker who emerged from the wreckage. “This is tragic. Five hours later, we found a body.”
The crash left a mess of metal and shattered glass on the pitch.
In some cases, passengers are being identified from body parts, voluntary firefighter Vassilis Iliopoulos told Skai TV. He warned that the death toll could rise.
A total of 17 biological samples have been collected from the remains, and from 23 relatives who are looking for a partner.
The passenger train carrying more than 350 people was traveling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki.
“It was a series of terror,” Pavlos Aslanidis, whose son went missing along with a friend, told reporters.
