A passenger train in Greece carrying hundreds of people collided with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in the country's north early Wednesday, killing 32 and injuring at least 85, officials said. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries. “The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesperson for Greece’s firefighting service. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant area near the front of the passenger train. Also Read: Greece: 3 dead after boat with migrants hits rocks The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained. Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. A teenage survivor who did not give his name told reporters as he got off one of the buses that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. “Our carriage didn’t derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed,” he said, visibly shaken. He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. Also Read: Cargo plane carrying munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh crashes in Greece Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, described the collision as “very powerful" and said it was “a terrible night.” “The front section of the train was smashed. ... We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There's debris flung all around the crash site." Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Hellenic Train, which has added highspeed services in recent years, is operated by Italy's FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries.

The death toll from Sunday's collision that saw a train hit a microbus in Bhatera rose to three, with one more victim succumbing to his injuries at a hospital in Sylhet on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Kamal Ahmed, 35, a resident of Loharpara in Sylhet city. On September, 5, two persons — Farid Uddin, 48 and Afif (8) -- were killed and six others injured when the Sylhet-bound inter-city train ‘Parabat Express’ hit the microbus, carrying nine people at Bhatera level crossing in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar district. Read: Sitakunda: Train crashes into pickup truck; no casualties reported The victims were on their way to Hossainpur village in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar from Sylhet to attend a social programme when the accident occurred. The microbus driver, however, managed to flee the accident scene. The injured were taken to Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Hospital and Sylhet Al Harmine Hospital. Of the injured, Kamal was undergoing treatment at a private hospital where he breathed his last at 8 pm on Wednesday.

Two express trains collided in southern Pakistan early Monday, killing at least 30 passengers, authorities said, as rescuers and villagers worked to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage. Between 15 to 20 passengers are still trapped in the wreckage of the Millat Express train and authorities were trying to arrange heavy machinery to rescue those people who are crying for help, said Umar Tufail, a police chief in Ghotki district in Sindh province, where the collision occurred before dawn. Read:Egypt says 11 killed in train crash north of Cairo The Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterward, said Usman Abdullah, a deputy commissioner in Ghotki. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the derailment and the subsequent collision. “Right now the challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage,” he said. Abdullah said so far 30 people had died. According to railway officials, about 1,100 passengers were on board the two trains, and arrangements were being made to help the surviving passengers. According to local media, some of the passengers were traveling by the Millat Express train to attend a wedding party but it was unclear whether they were among the dead or injured. TV footage showed ambulances transporting injured passengers to hospitals. According to Pakistani TV stations, heavy machinery had not reached the scene about four hours after the crash. Read: Taiwanese man involved in deadly train derailment released on bail Officials at Pakistan railways said they had ordered an investigation and rescue work was still in progress. Some of the injured passengers were listed in critical condition at a hospital. Authorities said troops had also arrived at the scene of the accident to participate in the rescue work. Malik Aslam, a local villager, told Pakistan’s Geo News TV that about 100 people were injured and he counted at least 30 bodies of passengers during the rescue and recovery work. Read:Train crashes in eastern Taiwan, killing 48, injuring dozens Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and aging tracks. In 1990, a packed passenger plowed into a standing freight train in southern Pakistan, killing 210 people in the worst rail disaster in Pakistan’s history.  

Loco master of Turnanishitha train and two other staff of Bangladesh Railway have been suspended after the fatal train crash at Mandbagh of Brahmanbaria that left 16 people dead and over 100 others injured.