An emergency blood donation has been organised by the Hellenic Red Cross in Larissa, the city near to where the crash happened.

The blood drive is being done in collaboration with two local hospitals in order to help those who were injured in the crash.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

This aerial footage gives you more of an idea of just how bad the collision between a passenger and freight train was.

The front carriages of the passenger train caught fire on impact and the front two are completely destroyed, making it difficult to tell exactly how many people have died.

Rescuers, including around 150 firefighters, are continuing to search the rubble but hopes of finding anyone alive are fading.

Image source, Getty Images

Kostas Karamanlis has resigned as Greece's minister for infrastructure and transport, saying in a statement: "When something so tragic happens, it is impossible to continue and pretend like it didn’t happen...

"This is called political responsibility.

"For that reason, I announce my resignation as Infrastructure and Transport minister.

"It is what I feel as a duty to do, as a mark of respect toward the memory of the people who died so unfairly, and taking the responsibility for the Greek state’s and Greek political system’s mistakes over the course of history."

He added: "From the deepest of my heart, I express my sorrow and my support to the families of the victims."

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the scene of the crash in Tempi, near Larissa.

Mitsotakis saw the devastation for himself as he walked past the derailed train carriages, in which survivors hours earlier broke windows to escape.

Speaking to reporters, he said: "Our thoughts today are first and foremost with the relatives of the victims.

"Our duty is to treat the wounded and from there to identify the bodies."

He added: "I can guarantee we will find out the causes of this tragedy and do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again."

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

At this stage, it is still unclear what caused the trains to crash, but the regional governor says the two services were running on the same track.

A local station master, based at Larissa, has been arrested. He has been charged with manslaughter by negligence and grievous bodily harm by negligence, but denies any wrongdoing.

Rail unions say there have been long running problems with electronic systems that are supposed to warn drivers of danger ahead.

One survivor told Reuters "we heard a big bang", adding: "For 10,15 seconds it was chaos."

Stergios Minenis described the scene as: "Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped."

Another survivor, Lazos, told the newspaper Protothema: "I wasn't hurt, but I was stained with blood from other people who were injured near me."

You can read more here.

BBC reporter Kostas Koukoumakas reveals the devastation at the crash scene.

He describes the smell of burning metal and clothes spread all over the site.

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his sympathy with those affected by the crash on Twitter.

“My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims of the tragic accident that happened last night near Larissa,” he writes in French and Greek.

“France is on the side of the Greeks.”

The Pope has passed on his "heartfelt condolences" to the victims and their families, the Reuters news agency reports.

In a statement, the Vatican says Pope Francis is "saddened" by the news of the train crash in Greece and is praying for "everyone affected by this tragedy".

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said: "To the injured, the emergency workers and all those providing assistance, his Holiness imparts his blessing as a pledge of strength and solidarity in the Lord."

If you're just joining us, this is what we know so far about the train crash in Greece:

• A passenger train, carrying 350 people, and a freight train crashed near the city of Larissa, in northern Greece on Tuesday night
• The first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed and the first two caught fire
• It is unknown exactly how many people have been killed, but local media say there are at least 36 casualties, with numbers expected to increase, and 72 people have been hospitalised
• The fire brigade said temperatures exceeded 1,300C where a fire broke out, making identification of victims difficult

• The station master of Larissa has been charged with manslaughter by negligence, but denies any wrongdoing and blames the accident on a possible technical failure
• The president of Greece has described the crash as an "unimaginable tragedy" and three days of national mourning have been declared
• Rescuers are continuing an ongoing search operation involving 150 firefighters, four cranes and forty ambulances

Please continue to follow along with us as we bring you the latest updates.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has described the crash as "an unspeakable tragedy".

The Greek prime minister said it was "very difficult" and offered his sincere condolences to the victim's relatives.

Mitsotakis, who earlier visited the scene, tweeted:

Image source, Getty Images

Greece will pay for the funerals of those who died in the train crash, the Greek government has announced.

The decision to pay for the services at public expense was taken by the minister of the interior Makis Voridis and minister of finance Christos Staikouras, according to local media.

So far, the authorities have confirmed the deaths of 36 people.

Flags on all public buildings in the country are flying at half mast and public events have been suspended as part of three days of national mourning.

The Greek fire department has said the number of people killed in the train crash is expected to rise.

According to the Greek newspaper Proto Thema, a spokesperson for the fire service said about 72 had been hospitalised.

He said identifying people was also proving "very difficult" because temperatures exceeded 1,300C where the fire broke out.

Image source, AFP

More now from our reporter at the scene, Kostas Koukoumakas.

He says that dozens of rescuers and firefighters searching for signs of life in the wreckage but “hope is getting less as time goes on”.

He also reports that as well as a local station master who has been arrested over the incident, state railway officials are also being questioned.

“Everyone here is looking for the cause of the tragedy,” says Koukoumakas, adding that overall responsibility for rail safety goes back to “big heads”.

He has been told that the train system was being operated manually, rather than electronically.

Koukoumakas has confirmed that many of the victims on the train are thought to be young people travelling back to the city of Thessaloniki, which has a large student population.

He says health officials are confident that the two hospitals in the nearby city of Larissa will be able to cope with the dozens of people who are injured.

We're just hearing now the station master of the city of Larissa has been charged with manslaughter by negligence.

Police say the 59-year-old has also been charged with grievous bodily harm by negligence.

The station master, who is in charge of signalling, denies any wrongdoing and has blamed the accident on a possible technical failure.

Investigators are trying to find out why the two trains were on the same track when they crashed near Larissa.

We're getting more pictures from the scene of the train collision showing rescue workers and firefighters working in an ongoing search operation.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA

And head here for our picture gallery showing the extent of the devestation.

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.

The transport minister for Greece has said the exact number of victims is still not known.

Local media reported Kostas Karamanlis said the causes would be investigated with transparency and seriousness.

"Today is a truly sad day, all of us here express our pain and sorrow. The thoughts of all of us are with the victims and their families."

Speaking from the scene of the collision, Karamanlis described it as a "very difficult search and rescue operation", adding: "We still do not know the exact number of victims.

"I would like us to remain calm and remain committed to doing everything we can to investigate the causes and not to sweep anything under the carpet."

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."

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.

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.