Human error blamed for train crash which killed 38 as station master arrested

Human error has been blamed for the horrifying train crash which killed 38 people and left at least 85 more injured.

A train carrying around 350 people collided with an oncoming freight train at high speeds in northern Greece last night.

The first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed, the first two also caught fire and were "almost completely destroyed".

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According to the BBC, the cause of the crash has been ruled as human error while the local stationmaster has been charged with manslaughter.

The man, who has not been named, has been charged with manslaughter by negligence and grievous bodily harm by negligence, but denies any wrongdoing – he blames the accident on a possible technical failure.

Another two people have been detained for questioning.

Greek transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, has resigned, saying in a statement: "When something so tragic happens, it is impossible to continue and pretend like it didn’t happen"

The head of the union which covers workers of Greece’s Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) told that the initial conclusion from an investigation into the crash ruled the incident as due to human error.

However, local reports claim Tsikalakis also says that the complete picture of circumstances is not yet known, and one or more factors is needed for an incident of this kind.

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Rescue crews searched before dawn on Wednesday for anyone trapped in the wreckage while survivors worked to free themselves.

Rescuers have been quoted stating some victims' bodies were found 30 to 40metres from the impact site.

A passenger on the train at the time of the collision described the moment of impact as “like an earthquake” to the BBC.

Giannis Antonoglou told the publication: “We couldn’t see anything but flames and smoke.

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“People were panicking and screaming – some people were afraid they were going to die.

“I’m still in shock, obviously, but thankfully I’m completely unharmed so I’ve nothing to complain about.”

Visiting the accident scene, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the government must help the injured recover and identify the dead.

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“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,” Mr Mitsotakis said.

On Wednesday, the government declared three days of national mourning, while flags flew at half-staff outside all European Commission buildings in Brussels.

“There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who was one of the first people on the scene. "The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.”

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