One person was killed and 30 were injured Tuesday when a train derailed after a collision with some construction equipment in the Netherlands.
The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning when the train slammed into a crane that was on the tracks near Voorschoten, a town between The Hague and Amsterdam. The crash sent two carriages caroming into a field next to the tracks.
It’s unknown why the crane was on the tracks, but both a criminal investigation and a probe into the cause of the crash are underway.
Many of the injured people were treated at the scene but 19 were taken to a nearby hospital with more serious injuries.
The train was carrying about 50 passengers at the time of the crash.
John Voppen, CEO of the rail network company Pro Rail, said at a news conference the crane was on a set of tracks that were not being used for train traffic, so it’s unclear how the crash happened.
According to reports, the person killed was from the construction company working on the railway.
“Like everyone else, I’m full of questions and we want to know exactly what happened,” Wouter Koolmees, CEO of the NS railway, said in a statement. “A thorough investigation must be carried out. At the moment, all attention is focused on the wellbeing of our travelers and colleagues.”
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte offered his condolences on social media.
“A terrible train accident near Voorschoten, where unfortunately one person died and many people were injured. My thoughts are with the relatives and with all the victims. I wish them all the best,” he wrote on Twitter.