Fiery train crash in Greece leaves 38 dead

At least 38 people are dead in Tempe, Greece after a passenger train carrying hundreds of people struck an oncoming freight train at high speed.

Multiple cars derailed and at least three of them burst into flames following the crash, which occurred just before midnight. Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights as they searched through the smoking debris for survivors and later were seen Wednesday using heavy machinery to sift through the wreckage.

Survivors said several passengers were launched through the windows of the train cars because of the impact, while others attempted to free themselves after the passenger train landed in a field next to the tracks near a gorge.

The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge separating the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece's Skai television that the two trains crashed in a head-on collision at high velocity.

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"Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed," he said.

Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned Wednesday in the wake of the crash, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down "as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly."

Greek authorities also arrested the stationmaster at the train's last stop in the city of Larissa, who is responsible for rail traffic along that stretch, according to The Associated Press.

Rescuers wearing headlamps worked in thick smoke in search of trapped survivors. People looked through the field with flashlights and checked underneath debris for potential survivors. Several people who died in the crash are believed to have been found in the restaurant area near the front of the passenger train.

State broadcaster ERT reported that some of the bodies were found up to 130 feet away from train, which was traveling at 87 mph, according to the AP. 

Rescuer Lazaros Sarianidis told ERT that crews were "very carefully" trying to disentangle steel, sheet metal and other material that was twisted together by the crash. 

"It will take a long time," said Sarianidis.

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Greece’s firefighting service said 57 people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including six in intensive care. More than 15 others were discharged after receiving initial treatment.

"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," Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesperson for Greece’s firefighting service, said.

It was not immediately clear what led to the collision.

Passengers who were either unharmed or only suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, located 80 miles to the north. Police recorded their names as they arrived to try and track anyone who may be missing.

According to rail operator Hellenic Train, the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board.

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Agorastos said on state TV the collision was "very powerful," adding that it was "a terrible night."

"The front section of the train was smashed. ... We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There's debris flung all around the crash site," he said.

Fox News' Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.