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VOORSCHOTEN, Netherlands: A Dutch high-speed passenger train slammed into heavy construction equipment and derailed near The Hague early on Tuesday (Apr 4), killing at least one person and injuring 30, emergency services said.
The train travelling from Leiden to The Hague hit a crane on the track near the village of Voorschoten at around 3.30am local time (1.30am GMT), while a freight train separately collided with the equipment, rail operators said.
The force of the crash left a front double-decker passenger carriage lying in a meadow and a second on its side on an embankment, while two carriages remained on the tracks, AFP reporters at the scene said.
Heavy scorch marks could be seen on one carriage, and Dutch media reported that a fire had broken out after the accident.
“We heard a bang first and then later a much more intense one,” local resident Chris van Engelenburg, 36, told AFP.
“Then we heard people screaming. It was not good.”
The train was carrying about 50 people when it crashed, Dutch authorities said. Dutch railways regularly run services during the night on key intercity lines.
“One person has died and at least 30 people have been injured. The seriously injured are being taken to hospital, while 11 are at homes of nearby residents,” Hollands Midden emergency services said.
“Specialists are working to secure the train.”
The freight train’s electric locomotive was severely damaged but the driver had been medically examined and was “fine”, operator DB Cargo said.
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