The death toll from the train accident in Greece rises to 43

MADRID, 1 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The head of the Forensic Service of the city of Larisa, Rubini Leontari, has confirmed that the authorities have already carried out the autopsy on a total of 43 bodies after the collision of two trains in Tempi, in central Greece.

The process of identifying the bodies has been delayed because the protocols establish that the procedure cannot begin until personnel from the Ministry of Citizen Protection are present, as Leontari explained to the Greek public broadcaster ERT.

Although the forensic authorities have already completed their work, Leontari has confirmed that it will not be until Thursday morning when the identities of the dead are revealed, and has confirmed that the authorities have set up hotels for the relatives who have had to displace.

"There is very good coordination, but the pain is still very great and it is certainly unmanageable for the relatives," lamented the person in charge of the Larisa Forensic Service.

The Greek authorities have declared this Wednesday three days of national mourning after the tragic accident caused by the frontal collision of two trains near the town of Tempe, located in the center of the country.

According to preliminary reports, the passenger train -in which 350 people were on board and which made the route between Thessaloniki (north) and Larisa (centre)- had diverted to a wrong lane, where the commercial train was circulating. . The collision has caused the derailment of three of the passenger train carriages.

After the accident, the Larissa railway station manager, who was in charge at the time of the accident, the representative of the Hellenic Train company, as well as another official, have been taken to the Larissa Police Department.

Later, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has confirmed the resignation of Konstantinos Karamanlis as Minister of Transport and Infrastructure and has confirmed the Minister of State, Giorgos Gerapetritis, as interim head of said portfolio. He has also reported the resignation of two of the top officials of the Hellenic Railway Organization (OSE).