Greek transport minister inspects train wreckage
(1 Mar 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Tempe - 1 March 2023 1. Various of accident scene 2. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Kostas Karamanlis, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport: “We will explore with complete seriousness, with complete transparency, the reasons for this tragic incident. But whatever we say now is premature -- and essentially in this way I would say that we desecrate the people who were lost -- so I would like to maintain our composure and reiterate what I said: we will do everything to explore the reasons (of the incident) and not sweep anything under the rug.” 3. Wide of accident scene 4. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Thanasis Pafilis, Communist Party MP: “We express our rage. How is it possible for so many people to be lost unfairly in 2023. There are great responsibilities and they cannot be attributed only to human error.” 5. Wide of accident scene STORYLINE: A head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train flattened carriages, killed at least 36 people and injured some 85, Greek officials said Wednesday. The death toll is expected to rise. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but the stationmaster in the nearby city of Larissa was arrested Wednesday. The police did not release his name. Another two people have been detained for questioning. Barely able to hold back tears, Greece's Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis told reporters at the crash site that authorities would investigate “in all seriousness and complete transparency” the causes of the crash. “We will do everything to investigate the causes and won't leave anything to be swept under the carpet,” Karamanlis said. Before dawn Wednesday, rescuers searched through smoking wreckage for survivors. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the twisted remains of the first two. It’s unclear at what speed the two trains were travelling when they ran into each other just before midnight Tuesday, but state broadcaster ERT quoted rescuers as saying that some victims’ bodies were found 30-40 metres (100-130 feet) from the impact site. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames in the crash near the town of Tempe, about 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometres (80 miles) to the north. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. Hellenic Train is operated by Italy's FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. AP Video shot by Vassilis Kommatas =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
