Greece - Head-on train collision, at least 57 killed - Tempi, 28 February 2023 *arrest*

[ifindedout]

Greece train crash: Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds'

Passengers smashed windows to escape burning carriages after two trains collided in central Greece.

www.bbc.com

The passenger train had been travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki when it crashed head-on with the other freight train, causing the front carriages to burst into flames, shortly before midnight local time.

It is being described as the worst train crash Greece has ever seen.

An investigation has been launched and police say they have arrested a local station master in Larissa.

Also, Greece's Minister of Transport has resigned. Live timeline below:

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-64807384

 

[ifindedout]

Wikipedians are doing a great job covering this tragedy (now 42 dead):

Tempi train crash - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also gives the exact coordinates.

 

[dotr]

Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM

At least 43 people died in the head-on collision between a passenger service and freight train.

www.bbc.com

By George Wright
''One of Greece's worst-ever rail disasters, which claimed at least 43 lives, was due to "tragic human error", the country's prime minister has said.
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke after visiting the site of Tuesday night's head-on collision between a passenger service and a freight train.
The local stationmaster has been charged with manslaughter. The Greek transport minister has resigned.
Rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors.
The accident happened just before midnight on Tuesday. The passenger train carrying some 350 people collided with a freight train as it emerged from a tunnel after leaving the town of Larissa.
It is still unclear why the two services were running on the same track.

The stationmaster, who is in charge of signalling, denies wrongdoing and has blamed the accident on a possible technical failure.''

'' Mar 1, 2023 #skynews #greece #train
There are fears the number of dead could rise dramatically after a passenger train and freight train collided head-on in Greece. The country's transport minister resigned following the crash, which killed at least 36 people and injured 85 more. Sky's Europe correspondent Adam Parsons has visited the hospital where those with injuries are being treated, in the city of Larissa. ''

 

[nhmemorymaker]

This is so tragic..........
Trains, lately..... so unsettling.

 

[dotr]

rbbm

'There was panic': Stationmaster arrested, transport minister resigns after Greek train wreck kills 43. Live updates.

A railroad worker was arrested and the transport minister stepped down after two trains collided head-on in northern Greece. Live updates.

www.usatoday.com

''More than 80 people were injured, and the Greek government declared three days of national mourning after the country’s deadliest rail crash.

Rail operator Hellenic Train said the passenger train was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city and a popular tourist destination that describes itself as the "gateway to the Aegean Sea." The train carried 350 people, including many university students returning home from Carnival, a three-day national party that precedes the Christian season of Lent.''

''Rescue crews spent hours combing through the wreckage, listening for the calls of survivors. Cranes were brought in to peel away layers of twisted, burned steel.

Eight rail employees were killed, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas said.''

Greece’s firefighting service said nearly 60 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. Journalist Elli Kasholi told the BBC that 20 to 25 people were missing but that some may have left the crash scene unnoticed.

►Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned Wednesday, saying he felt it was his duty to step down out of "respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.”

 

[steeltowngirl]

'Tragic human error' caused Greece's worst ever rail crash, PM says

Two carriages were crushed and a third engulfed in fires as hot as 1300 degrees C when a passenger train and a freight train late Tuesday collided near the central city of Larissa

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[ifindedout]

An in-depth look at the Greek railway situation from just before the pandemic (note: lots of technical and financial jargon):

“Warning, No Signal”

Only 30 km of the whole rail network in Greece has functioning train traffic lights. The installation of new European Train Control System has derailed in the country because of mismanagement – costing tens of millions of public funds and several fatalities.

web.archive.org

ETA quote:
Analyzing all the available data and statistics about railway accidents in the EU, it turns out that Greece tops the chart for the number of deaths (relative to kilometres covered in 2018), and comes second in terms of serious injuries. Among the main categories of accidents are train derailments and pedestrians being hit by moving trains, with inadequate signage and inadequate rail traffic management being arguably the main cause.

The Greek Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) came to the same conclusion in its 2017 Special Report on “System Recording and Tracking of Incidents on the National Rail Network", which notes that serious railway accidents such as the 2017 accident in Adendro near Thessaloniki, which left 3 dead and 6 injured, “most likely would have been avoided if the telecommunication and signaling system had functioned”. This is a reference to the Automatic Train Protection System, which is connected to the new European Train Control System (ETCS). Greece had installed that system many years ago within the framework of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

 

[JerseyGirl]

Greek station master detained pending trial over train crash -lawyer

The station master at Greece's Larissa railway station was detained pending trial on Sunday, his lawyer said, on charges related to the country's deadliest train crash on record.

www.reuters.com

 

[xxknoxx]

An in-depth look at the Greek railway situation from just before the pandemic (note: lots of technical and financial jargon):

ETA quote:
Analyzing all the available data and statistics about railway accidents in the EU, it turns out that Greece tops the chart for the number of deaths (relative to kilometres covered in 2018), and comes second in terms of serious injuries. Among the main categories of accidents are train derailments and pedestrians being hit by moving trains, with inadequate signage and inadequate rail traffic management being arguably the main cause.

The Greek Regulatory Authority for Railways (RAS) came to the same conclusion in its 2017 Special Report on “System Recording and Tracking of Incidents on the National Rail Network", which notes that serious railway accidents such as the 2017 accident in Adendro near Thessaloniki, which left 3 dead and 6 injured, “most likely would have been avoided if the telecommunication and signaling system had functioned”. This is a reference to the Automatic Train Protection System, which is connected to the new European Train Control System (ETCS). Greece had installed that system many years ago within the framework of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

I would never imagine I'd write this on a websleuths thread but my brother and his partner were victims. My brother died and his partner is in ICU in critical condition. It's going to be a long trial.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I would never imagine I'd write this on a websleuths thread but my brother and his partner were victims. My brother died and his partner is in ICU in critical condition. It's going to be a long trial.

I am so very sorry @xxknoxx

May justice prevail.
Sending a virtual hug, and prayers for healing energy to you and your family.

 

[Kotowia]

Let's hope that the investigation brings clarity and helps prevent such incidents in the future