by Firefighters and Hellenic Train personnel rushed to the scene in an effort to put out the flames and rescue passengers, the company said.
in a separate statement, the company expressed its “deep sadness” over the incident and said it was cooperating with authorities. The company said it would provide support to the families of those killed, as well as the injured and other passengers affected by the deadly crash.
The cause of the collision was not immediately clear.
Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the train’s windows by the impact, according to the AP.
“There were a lot of big pieces of steel,” said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who was one of the first people to arrive on the scene. “The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and cargo.”
“People naturally were scared, very scared,” he said. “They were looking around, searching; They didn’t know where they were.”
The trains collided just before the Valley of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia.
