FIERY GREECE TRAIN CRASH KILLS 29; AT LEAST 85 HURT

A passenger train in Greece carrying hundreds of people collided with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in the country’s north early today, killing 29 and injuring at least 85, officials said.

Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 235 miles north of Athens.

Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks.

Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries.

“The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesperson for Greece’s firefighting service.

Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the dining area near the front of the passenger train.

The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained.

In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, described the collision as “very powerful” and said it was “a terrible night.”