Passenger Train Crash in Greece Leaves Many Dead, Injured

At least 36 people died and many others were hurt when two trains crashed into each other late Tuesday in northern Greece.

One train was carrying people and the other was moving goods. Many of those who died were young people in their 20s.

The accident took place near the Vale of Tempe, about 380 kilometers north of Athens.

Investigators¹ are working to find the cause of the crash. Greek police said they arrested the stationmaster in the nearby city of Larissa.

State broadcaster ERT said the trains were traveling at speeds of more than 140 kilometers per hour when they ran into each other.

Survivors² said the crash threw passengers through windows. Some bodies were found 40 meters from the crash site.

Stefanos Gogakos was sitting near the back of the passenger train. He said it felt like an explosion³. He could see a fire at the front of the train. He was covered in glass, he said.

"My head hit the roof," he said. "Some people started to climb out through the windows because there was smoke in the carriage."

On Wednesday, pictures showed several train cars off the tracks. Some of the train cars were on top of each other. Emergency trucks were all around the area. A crane⁴ was also there to lift the train cars off one another.

Greek Prime⁵ Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the crash site.

He said, "I can guarantee one thing: We will find out the causes of this tragedy and we will do all that's in our power so that something like this never happens again."

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou went to the site to put flowers down.

The government said there would be three days of national mourning and flags flew at half-staff outside the European Commission⁶ in Brussels.

Greece's transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, resigned on Wednesday. He said he was taking responsibility for the country's "long-standing failures" to fix a railway system that he said was not fit for the 21st century.

Rescue worker Lazaros Sarianidis told ERT "it will take a long time" to move the train cars and remove the bodies.

Vassilis Polyzos lives near the crash site. He was one of the first people to arrive at the scene. "The trains were completely destroyed," he said. "People ... were scared – very scared."

The Greek Railroad⁷ Workers Union said the drivers of the two trains were both killed.

Greece's firefighting service said 66 people were taken to hospitals. More than 200 people who survived the crash without serious injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, about 130 kilometers away.

Words in This Story

roof –n. the cover or top of a building or vehicle

carriage –n. the part of a train where people sit as passengers

crane –n. a big machine with a long arm that is used by builders for lifting and moving heavy things

half-staff –adj. the position of a flag flying at a lowered position on a pole as a mark of respect for a person who has died.

site –n. a location where something happened

scene –n. the location where something happened, usually used during something worrisome or concerning⁸

scared –adj. the feeling of fear or worry

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

4 crane   

v.伸长(脖子)；n.起重机，吊车

参考例句：

• We used a crane to lift the piano into the theatre.我们使用起重机将钢琴搬进剧场。
• Must we wait till the crane arrives before we start loading?非要等起重机来了才能装运吗？

5 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

6 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

7 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

8 concerning   

prep.关于，论及

参考例句：

• What do you know concerning this?关于这事你知道些什么？
• Some senior students wrote in asking for information concerning postgraduate studies.一些四年级学生写信询问有关研究生课程的信息。