In the early hours of Tuesday, a passenger train carrying approximately 50 people derailed in the Netherlands after colliding with construction equipment on the track, killing one person and injuring at least 30 others, several of whom were in critical condition.
Emergency services were quickly deployed to the site of the accident, near the village of Voorschoten, close to The Hague, to rescue those injured and transport them to medical facilities. According to ANP news agency, the lead carriage of the train traveling from Leiden to The Hague came off the tracks and plowed into a field, while the second carriage was on its side, and a fire broke out in the rear carriage, though it was subsequently extinguished.
Dutch Railways initially suggested that the passenger train had collided with a freight train, but later clarified that a freight train had been involved in the incident, without elaborating. Trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague were canceled following the accident, Dutch Railways announced via Twitter. Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink described the derailment as "an incredibly tragic accident" and expressed her condolences to the victims' families and friends.