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. 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. Helfer, a deputy chief at the Greece Police Department, became the interim chief when Forsythe resigned in late October. A still from grainy CCTV footage shows the moment the colliding trains burst into flame, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023, Debris of trains lie on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis reacts with horror at the scene of the train crash. (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. Forsythe, who served as chief for less than a year, resigned from his job several days after the crash. Updated: Jun 3, 2022 / 09:04 PM EDT. (George Kidonas/AP), 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. 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. The Greece Police Department was criticized after that incident and a number of officers disciplined for their actions or lack of actions in investigating the crash involving their chief. This is indicated in the route summary. Most (of the bodies) are young people, she told ERT. Well ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. If you dont receive the email, please contact us via this form, API ViaMichelin - Itineraries, Geocoding, Traffic, Mapping, Michelin POI. Follow her onTwitter @vfreileand Instagram @vfreile. Karamanlis resigned Wednesday, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down. WebMonroe County, NY - 911 Incidents 911 Incidents This page is designed as a hazard and traffic avoidance warning system, and is NOT meant as an avenue to obtain police Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greeces Skai Television the two trains collided head-on at high speed. But the crash clearly struck a nerve. The crash which injured Helfer came less than a month after the departments former chief, Drew Forsythe, pleaded guilty to charges including DWAI for an October crash. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Angelos Tzortzinis for The New York Times. The accident left a tangled mess of metal and shattered glass in a field. It was the countrys deadliest rail crash on record. Greeces firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. TEMPE, Greece (AP) Rescuers searched Wednesday through the burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and crumpling several carriages into twisted steel knots. Windows were shattering and people were screaming, one survivor of the crash said. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/world/europe/greece-train-crash.html. See you soon! The company belongs to Italy's state railways. The other driver declined treatment at the scene. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the two trains ran into each other at high speed just before midnight Tuesday, near the town of Tempe in northern Greece. 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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. A man who was trying to ascertain the fate of his daughter, who was on the train, said he had a harrowing phone conversation with her before she was cut off. (George Kidonas/AP), 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. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. In Athens, several hundred members of left-wing groups marched late Wednesday to protest the train deaths. Do not sell or share my personal information. That was in part because of budget problems and in part because the system was not fully operational to prevent such accidents, the official said. As 85 people were taken to hospitals with injuries, Mr. Mitsotakis hurried to visit the site and trepidation grew about a rising death toll. The priority now is to nurse the injured and support the families who have lost their loved ones. The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. 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. The minister was given the task of setting up a cross-party independent committee to investigate the cause of the disaster, and Mr. Mitsotakis said that the Greek judiciary would also do its work. 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. 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. Fire service and police officers warned reporters to stay behind a cordon as rescue workers helped them to retrieve the latest grim discovery from the melded train engines. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of passengers. 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. That investigation is still in progress. Our carriage didnt derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed, he said, visibly shaken. Vasilis Ververidis/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. The three-car crash on Stone 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. The security camera clip showed a huge fireball rising hundreds of feet into the air immediately following the brutal impact, sparking the blaze that reduced two entire carriages to smouldering wreckage. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Green vehicles: which motorisation for which use? Details are limited at this time. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), 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. Everything is done manually, he said, adding that neither the signals nor the traffic control system worked. Greece police in a news release said that an eastbound vehicle while turning left into a driveway, turned into the path of Helfer's westboundSUV. 'It's tragic.'. All rights reserved. Dozens dead after devastating train crash in Greece New York Daily News Train debris lies on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers (235 There was a fire in the first cars and complete panic. The transport minister had visited the site of the crash just hours before tendering his resignation. He said windows shattered, showering riders with glass. 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. 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. No other details of the crash have been released. 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.. A huge chunk of metal from the other train had come through one of the windows.. Four people were taken to Strong Hospital, and their A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed before midnight Tuesday with an oncoming freight train. As dawn broke, the full scale of the devastation became clear, The site of a crash, where two trains collided, is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. 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. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed sorrow and wishes for a speedy recovery for those injured, his office said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. (Giannis Papanikos/AP), A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. 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Asked by reporters about the cause of the crash, Mr. Plevris said that it was not the right time to focus on the circumstances of the disaster. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. Niki Kitsantonis reported from Tempe, the city nearest to the site of the train collision in Greece, and Jason Horowitz reported from Rome. Greece police officers responded to the scene around 4:36 p.m., and found three cars were involved in the crash. He has worked for the town of Greece since 1997 and for the Greece Police Department for more than two decades, starting in 2000. Helfer has been acting as interim chief since Forsythes resignation. law, the European Commission could start legal proceedings against the government in question. Outside the Larissa General Hospital, where most of the injured were being treated and coroners were working to identify the dead, relatives awaited news about missing loved ones. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Beaming Prince Harry and Meghan enjoy a date night at exclusive $4,200-A-YEAR private members' club in LA - as friend claims they've been left furious over King Charles' 'cruel' decision to evict them from Frogmore Cottage, Biden LAUGHS at claim he was responsible for fentanyl overdoses of two brothers and says they died 'under the previous administration' - after mom's heartbreaking testimony to Congress. More than 200 people who were unharmed or suffered minor injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Former Greece Police Chief Andrew Forsythe last month pleaded guilty to driving while ability impairedand admitting that he was intoxicated when he crashed into a guardrail andtotaled his town-issued sport utility vehicle on Route 390 on Oct. 21. Despite the frosty relations between the two NATO members, Greece's leadership had called Erdogan last month following a massive earthquake that killed tens of thousands in Turkey. 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). Electric, hybrid and alternative fuels: what are the different advantages and limitations? A motorcyclist went to the hospital with serious injuries Friday. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near the gorge, about 235 miles north of Athens. There were many big pieces of steel, said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. Multiple cars derailed, and at least one burst into flames. The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.. Greece Police In 2019, the European Data Journalism Network, a group of media organizations, reported that from 2010 to 2018, 137 people had died and 97 were seriously injured in railway accidents in Greece, with an average of more than 15 deaths and 11 serious injuries per year. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed before midnight Tuesday with an oncoming freight train. The death toll from the collision of two trains in central Greece rose on Wednesday as authorities announced that at least 36 people had been No arrests or injuries were reported. Our data illustrates traffic conditions on the road and traffic conditions on the motorways in real time. Hellenic Train, which operates all of Greece's passenger and cargo trains, including those that collided, offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the victims' families. 'It was the train of terror,' Pavlos Aslanidis, whose son is missing along with a friend, told reporters. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. In some cases, passengers are being identified from body parts, volunteer fireman Vassilis Iliopoulos said, warning that the death toll would rise. The passenger train, carrying more than 350 people, had been travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki. It could still rise further, The collision between a freight and passenger train occurred near Tempe, some 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, and resulted in the derailment of several train cars. Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas. public events). Visiting the accident scene, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead. Everything else we will deal with afterward, he said. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. ViaMichelin routes take into account the impact of road traffic on your journey time. 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. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. 'There was panic the fire was immediate, as we were turning over we were being burned, fire was right and left,' said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old who jumped to safety. My head hit the roof of the carriage with the jolt," Stefanos Gogakos, who was in a rear car, told state broadcaster ERT. US housing market faces 20% correction amid further rate hikes and overinflated housing market, Dallas Fed warns, Two US Air Force commanders and four subordinates are FIRED after failing to ensure safety of nuclear weapons stockpile at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Plastic surgeon reveals the one exercise that makes you AGE FASTER - saying he tells his patients to stop the popular workout if they want to avoid a 'gaunt, old face', 'Lots of broken glass and screaming': Seven people are hospitalized as flight from Austin to Frankfurt makes emergency landing after LIGHTNING struck plane - making it plummet while no-seatbelt sign was on, Is air travel going to get even MORE expensive? Seventeen biological samples have been collected from remains, and from 23 relatives seeking a match, the police said. 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