The train collided with construction equipment on the tracks, causing it to derail, according to early reports.
One person died and at least thirty were injured, 19 of them seriously, when a train derailed on Tuesday (04.04.2023) carrying about sixty passengers and heading from The Hague to the city of Leiden, in the center of southern Netherlands, as confirmed by the emergency services.
The accident occurred at 03:35 in the morning on Tuesday (01:35 GMT). The front part of the train ended in a meadow, while the central sector of the convoy was next to the track. A fire broke out in the wagons at the rear and has already been extinguished, witnesses said. “One person died and at least 30 others were injured. Eleven people were sheltered in neighboring houses, while the seriously injured were taken to hospital,” Hollands Midden emergency services said.
According to reports, the train collided with construction equipment located on the tracks near the town of Voorschoten, on the line between The Hague and Amsterdam, although the first reports spoke of the collision of two trains. “We heard a very loud noise and suddenly the lights went out,” an unidentified witness told local television Omroep West. “We couldn’t get off the train initially because there was no electricity,” the man said, looking shaken. “We were finally able to after what seemed like hours,” he added.
At least twenty ambulances from all over the country were deployed. According to the first data, between ten and twenty people were injured and were taken to hospitals in the area.
