Greece train crash: 16 killed and dozens injured in collision

Sixteen people have been killed and at least 85 injured after two trains collided outside the city of Larissa in Greece, the fire brigade said.

The two trains – a passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa, collided head-on outside the central Greek city, Konstantinos Agorastos, the governor of the Thessaly region, told local media.

“The collision was very strong,” he said, adding that the first four carriages had derailed, while the first two were “almost completely destroyed”.

Agorastos said about 250 passengers were evacuated safely to Thessaloniki on buses.

A rescue worker at the site of the crash near the city of Larissa, Greece. Photograph: Reuters

Broadcaster SKAI showed footage of derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows amid thick plumes of smoke, as well as debris strewn across the road. Rescue workers were seen carrying torches in carriages looking for trapped passengers.

“There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming,” a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV.

“It was like an earthquake,” Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT.

This is a developing story, check back for updates