WebStay current with all the latest and breaking news from Greece, New York, compare headlines and perspectives between news sources on stories happening today. Greece police called on state police shortly before 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to investigate the crash. Firefighters collect bodies after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Greece police officers responded to the scene around 4:36 p.m., and found three cars were involved in the crash. Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece. It was not immediately clear what the circumstances were that led to the crash in northern Greece. Scores were injured. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. A train with about 350 passengers collided with a freight train near the city of Larissa in northern Greece. I'm still shaking,' 22-year-old passenger Angelos told AFP. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/world/europe/greece-train-crash.html. Experts noted that the country already had the worst record for rail safety in Europe and that endemic problems of maintenance had not been addressed for decades, even before austerity measures enforced by Europe after Greeces 2009 financial crisis led to drastic budget cuts. People donate blood for the injured passengers of the train collision in Larissa, about 355 kilometers (222 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Published: 14:46 EST, 1 March 2023 | Updated: 03:48 EST, 2 March 2023. This year was the first time the festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. (George Kidonas/AP). Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters after visiting the crash site that tragic human error had led to the crash, but gave no further details. 'My thoughts are with the people in Greece this morning,' tweeted the head of the European Council, Charles Michel. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. At least 36 people are dead and another 85 injured. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, has collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train. The crash occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel (pictured). The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remains unclear but the PM said it was likely 'tragic human error' You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. The accident left a tangled mess of metal and shattered glass in a field. If they had been working, the drivers would have seen the red light and the trains would have stopped 500 meters away from each other, he added, noting that he and colleagues had frequently reported malfunctioning systems recently. Police arrested Forsythe, who served as chief for less than a year, resigned from his job several days after the crash. Emergency workers used cranes and other heavy machinery to move large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. 'When something so tragic happens, we cannot continue as if nothing had happened,' Karamanlis said in a public statement. A picture taken with a drone shows firefighters and rescue crews working to extricate passengers from trains after a collision near Larissa city, Pictured: Rescuers operate at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, The crash occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel (pictured). Larissa's chief coroner, Roubini Leondari, said 43 bodies had been brought to her for examination and would require DNA identification as they were largely disfigured. Rescuers searched late into the night Wednesday for survivors amid the mangled, burned-out wrecks of two trains that collided in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country's deadliest rail crash. That investigation is still in progress. A motorcyclist went to the hospital with serious injuries Friday. The three-car crash on Stone Road sent four individuals to the hospital, first responders confirmed. Subscribe to the Michelin newsletter. First published on Wed 1 Mar 2023 14.23 EST. Thanks for contacting us. A safety supervisor had resigned last year, warning that infrastructure upgrades pending since 2016 were incomplete and that train speeds of up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) an hour were unsafe. He said some passengers escaped through windows but that after a few minutes, crew members were able to open the doors and let people out. As night fell on Wednesday, the acrid smell of charred metal hung heavy in the cold night air as a huge red crane lifted a hulk of blackened, twisted metal from the wrecked train carriages. They were looking around, searching; they didnt know where they were.. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis makes statements to the media during his visit at the location of a collision of the train in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. If an investigation proves that national safety standards were not in line with E.U. Windows were shattering and people were screaming, a young man, who was not identified, told a television crew after surviving the crash. At least 38 people are dead in Tempe, Greece after a passenger train carrying hundreds of people struck an oncoming freight train at high speed. In Athens, several hundred members of left-wing groups marched late Wednesday to protest the train deaths. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving treatment. TEMPE, Greece A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at Easy to understand pictograms are displayed on your map. Greeces firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. The media network attributed the problems to unsafe level crossings, poor infrastructure and traffic management systems, and understaffed companies. But the crash clearly struck a nerve. The crash occurred at 1:30 p.m. Greece police and North Greece firefighters first responded to the scene, but turned the investigation over to the State Police. According to New York State Police, which is investigating the crash, interim Greece Police Chief Jason Helfer was driving west on Kuhn Road,near Country Place Lane, when another vehicle drove into the path of his town-issued sport utility vehicle. Condolences poured in from around the world, including neighboring Turkey, Greece's historic regional rival. For the second time in three months, a Greece police chief wasinvolved in a crash. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision of the passenger train and a freight train a horrific rail accident without precedent in our country, and pledged a full, independent investigation. The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. He said that while the government had allocated 25 million euros, about $26.5 million, for maintenance, funding and staff have been lacking in recent years.. This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend, said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. This year was the first time the three-day festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. (Vaggelis Kousioras/AP), Firefighters collect bodies after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Sickening CCTV footage has revealed the moment two trains collided in Greece in a horror smash that killed more than 40 people in the country's worst rail tragedy. At least 36 people are dead and another 85 injured. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greeces Skai Television the two trains collided head-on at high speed. The crash occurred at approximately 5:00 p.m. at the intersection of Mt. The European Union Agency for Railways is responsible for setting up safety standards in collaboration with the national authorities and for monitoring and reporting on rail safety across the bloc. Protests have erupted in Greece over the rail crash which killed 43 people, with many seeing it as an accident that had been waiting to happen. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remains unclear but the PM said it was likely 'tragic human error', Crushed wagons are seen by the tracks after a train accident in the Valley of Tempi near Larisa, Students take part in a protest following a deadly train accident on February 28, 2023, near the city of Larissa, central Greece where 38 people died, outside the Hellenic Train headquarters, in Athens, 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 the Tempi Valley near Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023, This photograph taken on March 1, 2023, shows a slogan sprayed onto a glass window translating into 'Murderers-revolution now' as protesters escape tear gas during a demonstration following a deadly train accident on February 28, near the city of Larissa, central Greece. A railway official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the crash, said that electronic monitoring and warning systems along the track did not work properly. Read Boulevard and Dorsey Road/Vintage Lane. Transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned, saying he was stepping down as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly., Karamanlis said he had made every effort to improve a railway system that had been in a state that doesn't befit the 21st century., But, he added, When something this tragic happens, it's impossible to continue as if nothing has happened.. law, the European Commission could start legal proceedings against the government in question. Follow her onTwitter @vfreileand Instagram @vfreile. The crash occurred at 1:30 p.m. Greece police and North Greece firefighters first responded to the scene, but turned the investigation over to the State Police. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 80 miles to the north. Greek news media reported that the station manager had directed the freight train onto the same track as the passenger train, but the authorities declined to confirm or deny those reports. Greek news media reported that many of the young passengers had been returning from carnival celebrations in Athens. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided before midnight Tuesday at high speed with an oncoming freight train. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), Firefighters and rescuers collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Hellenic Train, which operates all of Greece's passenger and cargo trains, including those that collided, offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the victims' families. In 1968, 34 people died in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. 'Fortunately we were in the penultimate car and we got out alive. If you dont receive the email, please contact us via this form, API ViaMichelin - Itineraries, Geocoding, Traffic, Mapping, Michelin POI. Minor clashes broke out as some protesters threw stones at the offices of Greece's rail operator and riot police and set dumpsters on fire. That driver then made a left turn in front of westbound traffic in an attempt to reach the driveway. Students take part in a protest following a deadly train accident on February 28, 2023, near the city of Larissa, central Greece where 38 people died, outside the Hellenic Train headquarters, in Athens, on March 1. Athens metro workers also called a 24-hour strike for Thursday, saying they face similar problems as railway employees. 'This is the hardest thing, instead of saving lives we have to dig out bodies.'. The government declared three days of national mourning from Wednesday, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels. Greeks began to look for answers. According to New York State Police, Helfer was driving his department-issued vehicle westbound when another driver traveling eastbound passed a driveway and backed up. 'I was stained with blood from other people who were injured near me,' a passenger named Lazos told the newspaper Proto Thema. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Police are currently investigating a car crash that occurred early Sunday evening in the Town of Greece. Many kicked through windows to escape the inferno in the stricken carriages where temperatures reached 1,300 degrees C. Others were flung up to 40 metres out of their seats on impact. Hopes of finding anyone still alive in the wreckage more than 34 hours later appeared slim. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. Delta agrees 34% pay rise for pilots - worth up to $90k - with other major airlines set to follow suit, Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, 78, is DENIED parole because he still refuses to reveal reason for 1968 murder of the senator and then-presidential candidate, Trans teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts is FINALLY put on leave after it was revealed they don't wear the fake boobs outside of school - as parents line up to criticize school board at meeting, I'm a Feng Shui expert and these are the three things I will never allow in a bedroom - and you're likely to be guilty of having at least one, Nightmare! The countrys railway officials have been aware of the issue. News Firefighters collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The impact just before midnight Tuesday threw some passengers into ceilings and out the windows. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. All your travel news: our automobile, motorcycle and tyre tips and good deals, routes, traffic updates and road network flashes, motoring services on your route and future innovations. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou broke off an official visit to Moldova to visit the scene, laying flowers beside the wreckage. According to New York State Police, Helfer was driving his department-issued vehicle westbound when another driver traveling eastbound passed a driveway and backed up. 'It was the train of terror,' Pavlos Aslanidis, whose son is missing along with a friend, told reporters. Neighbouring Albania, Italy, Serbia and Turkey were among states to send condolences, as did China, the United States, France, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and the Vatican. But train unionists said the station master was likely a scapegoat as the safety shortcomings of the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line had been known for years. More than 200 people who were unharmed or suffered minor injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. 'Shocked by the news and images of the collision of the two trains,' he added. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Helfer, a deputy chief at the Greece Police Department, became the interim chief when Forsythe resigned in late October. Firefighters and rescuers collect a body after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Rioters clashed with When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Health Minister Thanos Plevris said most passengers were 'young people', with the train carrying many students returning to Thessaloniki after a long holiday weekend. (Vaggelis Kousioras/AP), Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis makes statements to the media during his visit at the location of a collision of the train in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A huge chunk of metal from the other train had come through one of the windows.. After sunrise, rescuers turned to heavy machinery to start moving large pieces of the trains, revealing more bodies and dismembered remains. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Video of the crash, which occurred moments after the passenger train emerged from under a highway underpass, showed the graffiti-scrawled passenger cars derailed, overturned and burned to a shell. This is indicated in the route summary. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Renting a car can be financially advantageous. A teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt sudden braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. public events). Unfortunately, our long-standing demands for staff hirings, better training and above all use of modern safety technology always end up in the wastepaper basket, it said in a statement. All rights reserved. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. As 85 people were taken to hospitals with injuries, Mr. Mitsotakis hurried to visit the site and trepidation grew about a rising death toll. You can deactivate the "Take traffic into account" option at any time to view travel times for smooth traffic conditions. We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. Eight rail employees were among the dead, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Yannis Nitsas, president of the Greek Railroad Workers Union. He said it was a 'terrible train accident without precedent' in Greece which would be 'fully' investigated. Train debris lies on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. WebViaMichelin provides details of incidents that may affect road traffic in Greece that include: road closures, lane restrictions, accidents, roadworks, weather, special events (e.g. Many of the passengers were students returning to Thessaloniki from Carnival, but officials said but no detailed passenger list was available. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning fromraucous Carnival celebrations. The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. ( WROC ) police are currently investigating a car crash that occurred Sunday... 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