The accident happened around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday evening near the village of Voorschoten, located between The Hague and Amsterdam.
A passenger train with around 50 people on board hit construction machinery, according to the emergency services.
The person who died in the accident is employed by the construction company BAM, owner of the equipment with which the train collided, writes the Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work was carried out on the railway tracks near the accident site.
The lead car derailed and ended up in a field, reports the ANP news agency. Another car was left on its side and a fire broke out in the rear car. The fire was finally extinguished.
COLLISIONS: Emergency crews work at the scene after a train derailment in Voorschoten. Photo: Josh Walet/ANP/AFP
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Trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague have been canceled due to the accident, and there will be no trains between the cities for several days, writes NOS.
The prosecution has opened an investigation into the accident, it was announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Treated on site
– A terrible train accident near Voorschoten, where unfortunately one person died and many people were injured, writes Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Twitter. Rutte further writes that his thoughts are with the next of kin and all the victims.
MAJOR DAMAGE: A fire broke out in at least one of the train’s cars following the collision. Photo: Kyrlian De Bot/via REUTERS
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A fire department spokesman said 19 people were taken to hospital, while others are being treated at the scene. Some receive home care from people who live nearby.
Several ambulances and a helicopter were used to transport seriously injured passengers to hospital.
– We heard a loud bang, and suddenly the lights went out, a man on board the train told Omroep West TV.
He says the passengers didn’t get off the train at first because the power was out.
More crashes
The Netherlands has been affected by several train accidents in recent years. One person died and six were injured when a train collided with a hydraulic crane at Dalfsen in the west of the country in 2016.
In April 2012, one person died, while 117 were injured, in a train accident not far from Amsterdam.
The worst train disaster in the Netherlands happened on January 8, 1962, when two passenger trains collided near the center of Utrecht. 93 people died and 52 were injured.
