ATHENS: At least four people died and at least five more were injured when a passenger train derailed in northern Greece on Saturday night, railway company TRAINOSE said.

Photographs on Greek news websites showed carriages with smashed windows and others on their side near a residential area.

The train was heading from Athens to the second biggest city Thessaloniki in northern Greece when it derailed near the town of Adendro, some 37 km (23 miles) away. Its engine was propelled into a nearby house but the cause of the accident was not yet known, a police official said.

The driver was in critical condition, TRAINOSE said.

The Athens News Agency reported about 100 passengers were on board the train and some media said five carriages had derailed.

Twelve fire brigade trucks were deployed to the area, the fire brigade said and a rescue operation was under way.