Summary

  • At least 43 people have been killed after a passenger train and freight train collided in Greece, in one of the country's worst rail accidents

  • Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said in an address to the nation that it appears the accident was due to "tragic human error"

  • Transport minister Kostas Karamanlis has resigned, saying it's impossible to continue after something so tragic

  • He says he is taking responsibility for the failures of the Greek state

  • The local stationmaster has been charged with manslaughter

  • Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors at the scene near the city of Larissa

Live Reporting

Edited by Siobhan Toman

  1. Greek prime minister visits the crash scene

    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos MitsotakisAFP

    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has declared three days of national mourning

    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.

  2. People still missing following train collision

    A journalist at the scene of a fatal train collision in Greece

    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.

  3. 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."

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  4. Cause of crash remains unclear

    James FitzGerald
    Live reporter

    Wreckage of a train in GreeceEPA

    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.

  5. It was a chaotic situation - survivor

    A wrecked rail carriage off its tracksGetty Images

    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."

  6. Greek president cuts short visit to travel to crash site

    Katerina SakellaropoulouReuters

    The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, has cut short an official visit to Moldova to visit the site of the crash.

    "Unfortunately, I have to interrupt my visit in order to be close to my people, to support those who need it," Reuters news agency quoted the president.

    She said "a life-saving operation" is ongoing on "to help those who are on this death train".

    At least 36 people have died and dozens more were injured in the collision between two trains near the city of Larissa last night.

  7. Emergency blood donations organised

    The Hellenic Red Cross says it is organising emergency blood donation in the central square of Larissa, the city near to where the collision happened.

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

    Red Cross volunteers have been among those at the scene helping to transport the dead and injured.

    They have also been providing psychological support for victims’ families.

  8. Satellite map of the crash site

    For those who'd like to understand the area where the crash happened, we have produced a more detailed map of the area in Greece where the tragedy occurred.

    Satellite image showing where the crash happened just outside a tunnel along with a map showing it was just outside Larissa on the way to Thessaloniki.

    The collision took place in the municipality of Tempi, around 15 miles (24km) from the city of Larissa, with the railway line in question running alongside farmland and the Pineios River to the west and the foothills of Mount Ossa to the east.

  9. 'Nothing left from first two carriages' - journalist

    A Greek journalist has told the BBC "nothing has been left from the first two carriages" following the crash.

    Marina Rigou said: "The rescue teams are trying to move the wreckages of the carriages from the tracks, but it's very difficult.

    "The collision was so severe that the two first carriages just disappeared.

    "The mayor of the city near the incident said nothing has been left from the first two carriages."

    She said the Thessaloniki regional government told local media the two trains were travelling at great speed because they didn't know that the other was coming.

    "So, the impact was really severe," she added.

  10. Three days of national mourning declared

    The prime minister of Greece says the country will enter a three day period of mourning.

    All public celebrations have been cancelled and flags on public buildings will fly at half mast until Friday.

  11. 'Many young people' on board, reports say

    The passenger train involved in the crash was around two-thirds full with many young people, the Reuters news agency reports, citing people it's been speaking to at the scene.

    About 350 people are believed to have been on board.

    Thessaloniki - where that train was heading - has a sizeable student population, and it's believed many would have been returning there after a holiday for Greek Orthodox lent.

    Reuters quotes a woman saying "my child is not picking up the phone" as she anxiously waited at a railway station in Thessaloniki.

    The city's student associations are calling for a full investigation with no "cover-up", according to local media.

  12. Cranes used in search for survivors

    A short time ago, we told you cranes were involved in the search operation. The latest images from Reuters give a sense of how they are being used to lift pieces of wreckage.

    Wide shot of emergency workers with cranes at the site of a train crash in GreeceReuters
    Shot of emergency workers with cranes at the site of a train crash in GreeceReuters
    Closeup of emergency workers with cranes at the site of a train crash in GreeceReuters

  13. 'I was stained with blood from other people'

    Rescuers at the scene of a deadly train crash in GreeceEPA

    Survivors of the deadly crash have been speaking to local media.

    According to one shaken passenger interviewed on Skai television, "the windows suddenly exploded" and "people were screaming and were afraid".

    They added: "Fortunately, we were able to open the doors and escape fairly quickly. In other wagons, they did not manage to get out, and one wagon even caught fire."

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

  14. More images from the scene

    Head here for our picture gallery with some of the most striking shots following the disaster in Greece.

    A damaged train in GreeceReuters

    Firefighters and rescue workers searched through the night for survivors

    Two women embrace at Thessaloniki railway stationGetty Images

    People have told of panic in the carriages as the trains collided

    Two women wrapped in metal blankets walk off a busGetty Images

    Dozens of rescued passengers were transported to the Thessaloniki Railway Station

  15. Sixty-six people injured

    We've just been reading further updates from the Greek authorities, published on the website of the fire service.

    As well as updating the death toll to 36, they say:

    • Sixty-six people have been injured, of whom six are in intensive care
    • A search operation is ongoing, with rescuers focused on the first three carriages of the passenger train
    • The operation is involving 150 firefighters, using 17 vehicles and four cranes. Thirty ambulances are on the scene
    • Police describe it as a "tragic train accident" and say investigators from Athens and Thessaloniki have been dispatched to assist local authorities

  16. Death toll rises to 36

    Greek authorities have provided another update on the rail crash - saying at least 36 people are now known to have died.

  17. 'Survivors told me they broke windows with luggage'

    Alexia Kalaitzi

    A journalist has told the BBC how crash survivors had to break windows to escape the train.

    Greek reporter Alexia Kalaitzi, who spent the night in Thessaloniki talking to survivors, said: "We spoke to many young people who were in utter shock.

    "One man, around 20-years-old, told us he thought he could die because he heard a bang and then he felt the whole train car going sideways and the whole thing collapsed.

    "He had to escape through a hole.

    "Other people described they had to use their luggage in order to smash the window and escape the train car.

    "They saw the first two carriages on fire and smoke everywhere, and people were panicked and there was screaming."

    She said most of the people she spoke to were students returning from holidays.

    "The worst part was the parents who were waiting there at the train station in Thessaloniki for their children and they could not find them," she added.

  18. WATCH: Harrowing footage shows wreckage of train crash

    Emergency services worked through the evening to free survivors from the wreckage of the train crash.

    At least 32 people have died and dozens of others have been injured, according to the fire brigade.

    Greece train crash: Rescuers search wreckage of deadly collision

  19. Survivors describe carriages on fire with people unable to escape

    Stephanie Prentice
    BBC News

    We have been speaking to some of the people who were evacuated.

    They’ve been describing having to escape these carriages.

    They were crawling through windows, crawling over broken glass.

    A number of them described carriages on fire with people unable to escape.

    This is being described as the worst train crash Greece has ever seen.

  20. Union head puzzled over how crash could happen

    The head of a railway union has told local media he isn't sure how the accident could have happened.

    Yannis Ditsas, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers, told ERT despite 40 years of experience, he cannot say whether the mistake was made on the ground or on the train.

    He added the only consolation was that the crash did not happen inside tunnels nearby.