Between Amsterdam and The Hague
Serious train accident in the Netherlands: 30 injured, one dead
Rescue workers are standing next to one of the derailed wagons
© Josh Walet /ANP / Imago Images
A train crash has occurred between Leiden and The Hague in the Netherlands. The cause is still unclear. Several people were taken to the hospital. For one person, help came too late.
At least one person died in a serious train accident in the Netherlands and around 30 people were injured. A spokeswoman for the fire brigade said on the radio on Tuesday that 19 people had been taken to the hospital. Nothing was initially said about her condition. Around ten passengers were picked up by local residents.
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.
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.
The accident happened around 3:25 a.m. on the route from Leiden to The Hague near Voorschoten. The cause was initially unclear. According to eyewitnesses, a freight train and a double-decker Intercity crashed into a construction crane. According to the ANP news agency, the front carriage of the passenger train derailed and crashed into a field. Other wagons overturned, the rear part of the night train is said to have caught fire, which was later extinguished, it said. The freight train is said to have derailed.
Train service between Amsterdam and The Hague suspended
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.
Traffic between Amsterdam and The Hague was suspended because of the accident. It is a very busy route.
Sources: Reuterswith material from AFP and DPA