Police say the station master of Larissa has been arrested after the head on collision which killed at least 36 people.
Charges will be announced shortly.
Priority is supporting victims and relatives – government
We also heard earlier from a government spokesperson, Giannis Oikonomou, who said the priority is now treating the injured and supporting the relatives of victims.
“We express our deepest sorrow for the tragic train accident in Tempi”, he said, adding: “This is an unspeakable tragedy.”
Oikonomou said the government’s thoughts were with those affected and confirmed psychologists were heading to Larissa.
“Our priority now is treating the injured, searching and finding missing people in the debris and offering psychological support to the relatives of the victims. by psychologists who are heading to the Larissa city.”
We are facing an unimaginable tragedy – Greek president
The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, has described the train crash as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
Local media reported Sakellaropoulou said in a statement: “We are facing an unimaginable tragedy, we mourn mainly young people.
“We share the pain of those who have lost their loved ones, although we know that their pain is so great that no comforting words can ease it. We are fighting for the injured and hope they get well soon.
“We thank the rescue crews and the medical staff, who give all their strength to the extrication and rescue operations. I express my deep sorrow and sympathy to the families of the victims. We are by their side.”
The president was an official trip to Moldova, but has now cut the trip short to visit the crash site.
It will take a long time for Greece to heal its wounds.
Kostas Koukoumakas
Reporter
The air smells burnt from afar, even though more than 12 hours have passed since the deadliest train accident in Greece in recent decades. At the edge of a green field, next to the highway, there are hundreds of people.
Rescue crews are trying to find traces of life in the wreckage of the train, but they seem overwhelmed by fatigue. Searches for trapped passengers are focused on the first three carriages, but hope is slim.
Two red cranes move slowly over the iron bars.
After the collision, a fire broke out in the wagons, so the metals have melted. It is an amorphous mass of iron. Clothes, bags, pieces of fabric stand out in the debris. As time goes on, hope dwindles. It is very painful for those who are now on the front lines.
For a moment there is a slight disturbance. The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, arrives at the scene of the tragedy. TV crews are crowding for the first statements.
It will take a long time for Greece to heal its wounds.
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Greek prime minister visits the crash scene
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has just been surveying the wreckage of the two trains that collided near the northern Greek city of Larissa.
He has vowed to get to the bottom of what happened and to ensure it never happens again.
As we reported earlier, the Greek government has declared three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast on all public buildings.
People still missing following train collision
Elli Kasholi is a journalist who is at the scene of the collision near the city of Larissa.
She says that 20-25 people are still missing after the crash but some of these may be people who left the scene without being accounted for.
Emergency service crews are still trying to find people who may be alive inside the train.
Kasholi also says the situation is difficult at the hospitals, where families of loved ones are being asked to identify the bodies of victims, some of which are very badly burned.
Zelensky sends message of support
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered his “deepest condolences” to the people of Greece.
Tweeting in Greek, he says: “My deepest condolences to the president of Greece and the Greek people for the loss of life in the train collision in northern Greece.
“The people of Ukraine share the pain of the victims’ families. We wish a speedy recovery to all the injured.”
Cause of crash remains unclear
If you’re just joining us – we still await clarity as to what caused last night’s head-on collision in Greece between a passenger train and a freight train.
The incident occurred as a passenger train emerged from a tunnel, on its way from Athens to Thessaloniki.
The regional governor says the two services were running on the same track.
Greek public broadcaster ERT reports that police have been speaking to a local station master – and prosecutors will decide whether or not he will be arrested.
It was a chaotic situation – survivor
A train crash survivor has described the scenes after the crash as “chaotic”.
The man told reporters gathered at Thessaloniki station: “All I personally remember is feeling a very strong braking and suddenly, I see sparks and flames on the sides of the windows.
“And then a sudden stop. This made us all panic and we just wanted to get out as soon as possible so we tried to break the window glass.
“Some guys who were near windows, we broke them, we got out. It was a chaotic situation in front of us.”
Source: bbc.com
