Greece train hits house after derailing, killing three Published duration 14 May 2017

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption The train wrecked a house as it derailed near the village of Adendro in Northern Greece

Three people have been killed and many more seriously injured after a passenger train derailed in northern Greece, officials say.

The train, travelling from Athens, struck a house when it left the track near the city of Thessaloniki.

A resident at the property said he had managed to jump from a balcony just before the train made impact.

Pictures from the town of Adendro showed smashed carriages. It is unclear what caused the train to derail.

The victims have yet to be formally identified but local media is reporting that one passenger died in the crash along with two members of staff.

All five carriages of the express train left the track in the incident. The driver is among those injured.

The train was carrying 70 passengers, most of whom were safely evacuated within three hours of the accident on Saturday night, according to reports.

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption All five carriages left the track, killing three and injuring many more

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption A resident at the property struck by the train jumped from the balcony moments before impact

image copyright Reuters image caption The train was carrying 70 passengers when the accident happened on Saturday

The accident happened some 40km (25 miles) from Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city.

A senior national railway official who visited the crash site said there had been no reports of problems on that stretch of railway before the incident, AFP news agency reports.

Police said that the cause of the crash had yet to be determined. The state-owned railway company Trainose said it had opened an investigation.

Related Topics Greece

Rail travel