One person has died and around 30 others are seriously injured following a horror train accident in the Netherlands. The front carriages derailed in the early hours of this morning and at least one carriage was sent flying into a field next to the tracks.
The incident happened close to the village of Voorschoten near The Hague at around 3.25am local time. Many windows on the train were smashed and it's not clear if this happened as a result of the incident or if passengers broke them while trying to escape, the Mirror reports.
Dutch Radio were told by a local fire department that 19 victims had been taken to hospital while others were being attended to at the scene. According to the Netherlands National News Agency (ANP), the front carriage of the train between Leiden City and The Hague came off the tracks and ended up in a field after the terrifying accident.
Images from the scene showed a front carriage derailed and ploughing into a field, while a second derailed carriage landed on its side. A third carriage managed to remain upright while a fourth one burst into flames.
Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink said in a statement: "This is an incredibly tragic accident. I sympathise with the victims. Unfortunately, there is also a fatality to mourn. My thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those involved."
John Voppen, CEO of the rail network company Pro Rail, called the accident 'a black day' for Dutch railways and said the cause of the terrible accident was being investigated.
An unidentified witness told the local Omroep West television news: “We heard a loud bang and suddenly the lights went out. We couldn’t initially get out of the train because there was no electricity.”
Other local media reported there was a small construction crane on the tracks at the time. However, authorities did not immediately confirm this claim.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also expressed their sympathy in a tweet.
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