Authorities in Greece have not requested assistance from the Bulgarian consulate to deal with the consequences of last night's head-on train collision, Bulgarian Consul General in Thessaloniki Anton Markov told BNR. A passenger train between Thessaloniki and Larissa collided with a freight train just before midnight local time near Tempi, around 235 miles north of Athens.

Two Bulgarian citizens - a man and a woman - were injured in the crash and are being treated in Thessaloniki, but their identity has not yet been established, Mr Markov said. According to him, the tragic accident was most likely caused by a misplaced railway switch, but as long as the investigation is not completed, no one can say that with certainty.

So far, the consulate has received no calls from Bulgarians looking for their relatives. According to official information, 350 people were travelling on the passenger train. More than 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the severe train crash, Greek national television ERT reported. Emergency workers say there is no chance of finding any more survivors from the first two carriages as they were literally burnt out immediately after the collision. The condition of some of the injured, admitted to hospitals from Larissa to Thessaloniki, is critical and volunteers are donating blood.