Death toll in northern Greece train accident climbs to 57

ATHENS / TEMPI, Greece

The death toll in late Tuesday's northern Greece train crash has climbed to 57, with at least 10 people still missing, an official said on Thursday.

Rescue workers, including firefighters, are searching for survivors after passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train in the town of Tempi, near the city of Larissa, causing the front carriages to derail and burst into flames.

At least 14 more charred bodies were recovered Thursday, Rubini Leontari, head of the forensic service in the northern city of Larissa, told local broadcaster Real FM.

Some carriages were entirely engulfed in flames, with rescuers fearing that most of the missing bodies were trapped there.

At least 72 injured passengers were hospitalized, with 15 of them having been discharged, it added. According to the latest information, six intubated patients remain in critical condition.

The victims include nine railway employees and university students returning to school in the northern port city of Thessaloniki from Larissa and Athens.

Psychologists were also sent to the Larissa General Hospital to provide support to the families of the victims and passengers.

Nikos Sguris, one of the rescuers, told Anadolu that the trains collided as both were moving at high speed, and the fire was further fueled by cooking oil stored in the restaurant area.

Vasilis Iliopoulos, another volunteer rescuer, said it is unlikely anyone will come out alive from wreckage of the collision.

The 59-year-old Hellenic train station master in Larissa, who was arrested after the crash, appeared before an examining magistrate on Thursday. He was given time until Saturday to prepare a testimony.

It said the station master is considered responsible for the accident, in which two trains moving in opposite directions ended up on the same track in a head-on collision, and will be charged with manslaughter through negligence, bodily harm through negligence and dangerous interventions in means of transportation.

“We have an obligation to do everything to never live moments like this ever again,” government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said on Thursday in a press briefing.

Oikonomou said that the exact number of passengers was still unclear

Türkiye offers condolences

Neighboring Türkiye offered condolences, expressing sorrow for the loss of life.

In a message to Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is deeply saddened by the train crash, conveyed his condolences for those who lost their lives in the accident, and wished healing to the injured, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also expressed sorrow, saying: “We extend our condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident as well as to the people and government of Greece and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also conveyed his condolences to his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.