One killed and dozens injured after train derails in the Netherlands
One person has died after a train derailed in the Netherlands, reportedly after hitting construction equipment left on the track.
Dutch emergency services said the accident happened around 3.25am local time (1.25 GMT).
Local media state a ‘code 50’ has been implemented, which means more than 50 injured victims are expected.
Rescue teams were seen evacuating casualties in pre-dawn darkness at the scene of the incident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague.
Emergency services were forced to use makeshift bridges to cross a canal to reach the carriages.
The train had been carrying around 50 people at the time of the accident, with scores treated for injuries.
A fire department spokesman told Dutch radio that 19 people were taken to hospital. Others were being treated on the spot, the emergency services said.
The front carriage of the night train, travelling from Leiden city to The Hague, derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, ANP news agency said.
The second carriage was left on its side and a fire broke out in the rear carriage but was later extinguished, it said.
Lines of ambulances were pictured near the crash site as emergency services prepared to treat the injured.
There have been conflicting reports about the cause of the accident.
Earlier reports had said the passenger train had collided with a freight train. Dutch Railways (NS) spokesman Erik Kroeze said a freight train was involved in the accident but could not give details.
NLTimes reports that a small construction crane had been spotted on the track, which could have resulted in the crash.
Dutch Railways said in a tweet that trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague were cancelled due to the accident.
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