At least 26 people were killed and more than 85 others injured in a train collision near Evangelismos of Tempi.
Evangelismos is a town near the southern coast of Messenia, Greece. It is located 10km southeast of Pylos and 5km east of Methoni. The town is the main settlement in Evangelismos Community, which is part of the Methoni municipal unit within the Pylos-Nestoras municipal district.
The night collision between a passenger and an oncoming freight trains Wednesday morning caused multiple train cars to derail, and at least three caught fire.
It happens about 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa are in emergency mode.
The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under tough conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains.
Dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort.
Rescuers wearing headlamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the rail cars to search for trapped people.
The number of significant railway accidents in the EU fell almost continuously between 2010 and 2020, with the only exceptions a sharp increase in 2014 and a slight increase in 2017. In 2020, the number of significant accidents decreased by 184 compared with 2019, to a total of 1 331 accidents
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The number of significant railway accidents in the EU fell almost continuously between 2010 and 2020, with the only exceptions a sharp increase in 2014 and a slight increase in 2017.
- The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under tough conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains.
- The town is the main settlement in Evangelismos Community, which is part of the Methoni municipal unit within the Pylos-Nestoras municipal district.
