Greece train crash ‘an unimaginable tragedy’ as death toll likely to rise

Greek president says ‘we are mainly mourning young people’ after collision in which 40 have been confirmed dead

The death toll from the head-on collision of two trains in central Greece is likely to rise with officials acknowledging that scores of people had yet to be accounted for nearly 24 hours after the accident left 40 dead and many more injured.

Rescue services worked against the clock to find survivors in what by late Wednesday was ever more apparent: that the country was dealing with a train crash the likes of which had not been seen in Europe in decades. Many of the dead were students. By mid-morning 35 bodies had been taken to the general hospital in Larissa, the nearest town, some burned beyond recognition, forcing relatives to give DNA samples.