Netherlands: 1 dead, 30 injured in train derails near The Hague

Television images showed one person using makeshift bridges to cross the channel alongside the rails to reach the train. Broken windows were found in many train carriages. It wasn’t clear whether this happened during an accident or when passengers tried to escape.

A train partially derailed near The Hague on Tuesday morning, leaving one person dead and 30 others injured. Dutch emergency service said that the train sent at least one carriage into a field adjacent to the tracks.

Television images showed one person operating makeshift bridges to cross the canal alongside the rails to reach the train. Broken windows were found in many train carriages. It wasn’t clear whether this happened during an accident or when passengers tried to escape.

The injured passengers were treated at their homes and transported to the hospitals in a fleet. One of these was the Utrecht “calamity” hospital.

The exact cause of the accident, which occurred at 3:25 AM (0125 GMT) in Voorschoten near The Hague, was not immediately known. Dutch media reported that there was an unidentified crane in the tracks. Authorities did not confirm this.

“This is an extremely tragic accident. I feel for the victims. There is also a death to be mourned. “My thoughts and condolences go out to the loved ones involved,” Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Sterdink stated.
Ingrid de Roos, the spokeswoman for the local fire service, told WNL that a small flame broke out at the rear but was quickly put out.

John Voppen (CEO of Pro Rail) called the accident “a dark day for Dutch railways” and stated that the cause was being investigated.