Several dozen people hurt in Netherlands train accident

A passenger train carrying at least 50 people derailed in the Netherlands early on Tuesday after hitting construction equipment on the track and several dozen people were injured, many seriously, Dutch emergency services said.

Rescue teams were at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague, the emergency services said.

Some of the injured were being treated on the spot and others were being taken to hospital, the emergency services said.

The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, ANP news agency said. The second carriage was on its side and a fire broke out in the rear carriage but was later extinguished, it said.

Earlier reports had said the passenger train had collided with a freight train.

Dutch Railways (NS) said in a tweet that trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague were cancelled due to the accident.

Reuters