Dramatic aerial pictures have revealed the scale of the devastation caused after a train crash in the Netherlands that left one dead and at least 30 injured.
Rescue teams were scrambled after the passenger train collided with a maintenance crane in Voorschoten, between The Hague and Amsterdam in the early hours of Tuesday.
The maintenance work was planned and standard, but “we have no idea how the crane got on the track which was still open for traffic,” John Voppen, the CEO of railway infrastructure firm ProRail, told a news conference.
The front carriage of the night train from Leiden to The Hague – one of the Netherlands’ busiest routes – hit the crane and derailed, ploughing into a field.
A fire department spokesperson said 19 people were taken to the hospital while others were being treated at the scene.
Dutch construction group BAM said one of its employees died in the accident. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The driver of the passenger train is among those in hospital and has suffered bone fractures, Dutch railways chief executive Wouter Koolmees said.
A fire broke out in the rear carriage of the passenger train after the collision, at 3.25am; at least 50 people were on board.
Dramatic pictures have now emerged showing the scale of the devastation, with two of the bright yellow and blue train carriages pictured laying across a canal and in a field next to the tracks.
What appeared to be the front of the train was badly damaged, while other parts were partially derailed.
“Like everyone else, I’m full of questions and we want to know exactly what happened,” Mr Koolmees said. “A thorough investigation must be carried out. At the moment, all attention is focused on the well-being of our travellers and colleagues.”
Mr Voppen said: “The crane was part of maintenance work on two tracks which were closed for traffic, while two other of the total of four tracks remained open for train traffic,” said ProRail’s Voppen.
“I have been working in the rail industry for years, and I don’t understand how this could have happened. We are going to launch a full inquiry.”
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said: “A terrible train accident near Voorschoten, where unfortunately one person died and many people were injured. My thoughts are with the relatives and with all the victims. I wish them all the best.”
Video footage from inside the train in the immediate aftermath of the crash showed chaotic scenes as passengers tried to get out of the wreckage in darkness. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also expressed their sympathy, and the king visited the site.
