Cypriot nationals were on board one of the two trains that collided in Thessaloniki, northern Greece on Tuesday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens of others.
Their condition, number and names have not been made public yet, but the foreign ministry’s crisis management department has already contacted the Cypriot ambassador in Greece Kyriakos Kenevezos and the Greek authorities to mobilise help.
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told the Cyprus News Agency that he is aware that Cypriot nationals were on one of the trains, but that he has no information regarding their identity yet.
“However, I know that coordinated efforts have been made with both the embassy and the consulate in full cooperation with the Greek police and the ministry of foreign affairs.
“At this stage we cannot say anything more. When the issue is officially clarified by the Greek authorities, we will be able to provide more information to the public,” Kombos said.
The crash occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel. Derailed carriages, badly damaged with broken windows and thick plumes of smoke, could be seen on the site.
One passenger carriage stood on its side at almost 90 degrees from the rest of the wrecked train, with other derailed carriages tilting precariously.
The passenger train was carrying 342 travellers and 10 crew, while two crew were on the cargo train, according to Hellenic Train data.
The head of emergency unit in Larissa hospital Apostolos Komnos said most of the dead were young people, in their 20s.
Many of the passengers would have been returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. Thessaloniki has a large student population.
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