UPDATE 5- Death toll of train collision in northern Greece climbs to 36

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, HEADLINE, DECK; ADDS SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE SURVIVORS; MORE DETAILS

By Ahmet Gencturk, Diyar Duldogan and Servet Gunerigok

ANKARA / ATHENS / WASHINGTON (AA) - The death toll from a collision between a passenger train and a cargo train in northern Greece has climbed to 36, with the search for survivors continuing, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a fire department spokesman, rescue teams are looking for people trapped in the wreckage at the site of the accident at the entrance to the valley of Tempi, in the town of Tempi in the Larissa province.

He added that 150 firefighters, including members of the Special Disaster Response Unit, are operating at the scene of the accident, with 17 vehicles, four cranes, and 30 ambulances.

Of the victims, seven were found burned at the scene, said public broadcaster ERT, adding that of the 130 injured, 66 are being treated in hospitals in Larissa, Katerini, and Thessaloniki.

University students who were returning from Larissa and Athens to school in Thessaloniki as well as nine railway employees were among the dead.

Government spokesman Yiannis Oikonomou said: “The causes of this tragic accident will be investigated by competent authorities. It has already started seeking to clarify the conditions under which two trains were moving for many kilometers on the same line in the opposite direction."

-Türkiye offers condolences

Neighboring Türkiye issued a statement of condolences, expressing sorrow over the loss of life.

“We have learned with sorrow that many people lost their lives and were injured last night as a result of a train crash in our neighbor Greece,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

“We extend our condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident as well as to the people and government of Greece and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Additionally, in a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu conveyed his condolences to his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.