accidents
Train accident in the Netherlands: one dead and many injured
There was a serious train accident in the Netherlands (symbol image). photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/symbol image
Early in the morning near The Hague: A freight train and an Intercity crash, wagons overturn. Most people can save themselves, but the chaos is great.
A serious train accident near The Hague in the Netherlands has claimed at least one life. About 30 people were injured, some seriously, a spokeswoman for the security forces said on the radio. 19 people were hospitalized. Nothing was initially said about her condition.
In his first reaction, Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke of a “terrible train accident”. “My thoughts are with the relatives and with all the victims. I wish them a lot of strength,” he wrote on Twitter.
Around 3.25 a.m., according to a spokesman for the railways, an Intercity and a freight train crashed into a construction crane near Voorschoten, about 15 kilometers from The Hague. According to the railway, 50 to 60 passengers were on the night train on the way from Amsterdam to The Hague when the accident happened. The operator of the “Prorail” rail network was initially unable to say anything about the exact cause.
Windows shattered, wagons overturned
According to eyewitnesses, the Intercity crashed into a meadow, and at least two wagons overturned. The freight train is said to have derailed.
Most passengers were able to disembark the train themselves. “There was a heavy blow, windows shattered,” reported a passenger on the radio. The carriage in which the student was sitting had tipped over. He was able to free himself quickly.
The emergency services were quickly on the spot. Some passengers were also taken in by local residents, eyewitnesses said.
The chaos at the scene of the accident and on the railway line is great, reporters report. It is a very busy route from Amsterdam to The Hague. Traffic between Leiden and The Hague has been disrupted.