At Least 26 Killed, 85 Injured After Two Trains Collide in Greece | On Cam

At least 26 people have been killed and 85 injured after two trains collided outside the city of Larissa in Greece.

The two trains, a passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa, collided outside the central Greek city, Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the Thessaly region said, according to The Guardian.

Eighty-five people were injured and transported to nearby hospitals.

The spokesman confirmed that three carriages skipped the tracks near the town of Larissa, in the centre of the country, after a collision between two trains — one for freight and the other carrying 350 passengers.

One of the cars caught fire and several people were trapped inside, according to public television station ERT.

A major emergency response was launched, with police, 40 firefighters and around 30 ambulances dispatched to the scene, local media outlet Onlarissa reported.

“The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said.

Around 250 passengers were evacuated safely to Thessaloniki on buses. However, the number of injured and dead are likely to increase.

An emergency government meeting is in the works. One passenger named Lazos told the newspaper Protothema that the experience had been “very shocking”.

“I wasn’t hurt, but I was stained with blood from other people who were hurt near me,” he said.