A passenger train and a freight train collided with a railway crane in the train accident that occurred Monday evening in the Dutch town of Voorschoten between Leiden and The Hague. 19 injured were taken to hospital, but not a single person survived the accident. In the evening, three more victims were placed in intensive care.
The accident occurred at around 3:25 am. “It involved a collision between a freight train and a passenger train with a construction crane,” John Faubin, CEO of ProRail Director confirmed this morning at the press conference. It is about a crane from the construction company BAM.
“On a site with four tracks next to each other, planned maintenance work was going on on the tracks that were not in use,” Faubin explained. It is supported by a construction crane on wheels. How the trains could have collided with it, I don’t have an answer yet. In my 17 years working on the railroad, I have never seen anything like it.
There were about 50 passengers on the passenger train. Shock helicopters and 24 ambulances arrived at the scene, and 19 injured people were taken to five different hospitals. Among them also several seriously injured. One person was killed, BAM meanwhile declared itself the operator of the crane. The passenger train driver was also taken to hospital with broken bones. The two connectors are very shocking, but they work fine.
In an update on Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed that three more people were in the intensive care unit spread across two hospitals. According to the emergency services, their condition is “very serious but stable”. The three victims arrived very quickly after the accident and have been in surgery ever since.
king
Dutch King Willem-Alexander visited the accident site just before noon, reports NOS. “Terrible news,” the king immediately declared, “many victims. Then you think: How is this possible?” Dutch Minister of State Vivian Haegen of the Infrastructure and Water Department called it a “miracle” during her visit to Voorschoten that there were no more deaths. Of course it’s terribly impressive.
A police spokesperson stated that in addition to the investigation into the cause of the accident, a criminal investigation has been opened into any criminal offenses that were committed.
Trains were disrupted for days
The damage to the track is so great that no trains will run between Leiden Central and The Hague Central in the coming days. No hazardous materials were released during the collision. Specialists work to secure the train.
“Friends woke me up with a tilt,” one passenger told public broadcaster NOS. “You yelled at me: You have to get off the train, something happened. Only when you put your head out of the window, which is not normal on a train, did I find out that it was not good.
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