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Death toll in train collision in Greece reaches 36 — emergency services

Earlier, the Hellenic Train railway company reported that there were about 350 people on the passenger train at the time of the accident

© EPA-EFE/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS

ATHENS, March 1. /TASS/. The death toll from a collision between a passenger train and a freight train near the Greek town of Larissa has reached 36, with 66 more civilians in hospitals, the ERT News TV channel reported, citing fire department spokesman Vassilis Vatrakoyannis.

"So far, 36 people have been found dead. Eighty-five people have been injured. Out of these, 66 people have been taken to hospitals for treatment, six are now in intensive care units," the TV channel quoted Vatrakoyannis as saying.

Earlier, the Hellenic Train railway company reported that there were about 350 people on the passenger train at the time of the accident. According to the ERT-1 TV channel, 270 of them were uninjured and evacuated.

Firefighters reported that the first cars of the train were completely crushed, with the wheels and fragments of skin thrown some 100 meters away from the railroad due to the violent impact. The two trains, which were traveling toward each other, ended up on the same track for a yet unknown reason.

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