The chaos and carnage wrought by a horror train smash has been seen in harrowing drone footage from above the scene.
Shortly after midnight, at least 40 people perished and 130 were left hurt after a passenger train smashed head on into an oncoming freight train near Tempe, Greece.
After the collision, several carriages buckled off the rails and three erupted in flames.
Cranes lifted mangled pieces of metal from the smoking wreck as rescuers wearing head lamps scoured through the aisles in the hopes of finding miracle survivors.
The enormous emergency response can be seen in aerial footage this morning, which shows the whirring red lights of fire engines beside a derailed carriage that is battered and burnt.
The fire-charred car had launched off the tracks completely, with another left balancing between the rails and the left bank.
An enormous crowd of rescue workers stand to the left of the disconnected wagon after what has been branded Greece's worst ever rail disaster.
In another clip, the extent of the damage can be seen as it shows the external steel panelling completely ripped off of the carriage's skeleton frame.
Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train carriages due to the impact, which was "like an earthquake".
They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks near a gorge about 235 miles north of Athens where major highway and rail tunnels are located.
"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."
He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear cars as he arrived.
"People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. "They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were."
Many of the survivors have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries and burns, and some of them will require amputation, local media has reported.
One victim recalled hearing "people shouting: 'We are burning'" as the carriages erupted, Tanea.Gr reported.
Another said it felt "like an earthquake" when the two trains smashed into each other.
The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai television the two trains crashed head on at high speed.
"Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said.
Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the carriages 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 which was carrying hundreds of people.
"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," Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said.
Hospital units used to treat burn victims had been alerted in the area, he said, adding that dozens of ambulances were involved in the rescue effort.
"It was a very powerful collision. This is a terrible night... it's hard to describe the scene," Mr Agorastos earlier told state-run television.
Officials said many of the passengers on board the Athens to Thessaloniki train had been students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend.
"This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids."
"The front section of the train was smashed... we're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment to clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There's debris flung all around the crash site."
Government officials said the army has been contacted to assist in the rescue.
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, 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 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.
Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board.
Officials said the army had been contacted to assist.
Hellenic Train, which has added high-speed services in recent years, is operated by Italy's FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries.
