Netherlands train crash kills one, injures at least 117

Correction — April 28, 2012

This article says the collision occurred "yesterday"; in fact, it occurred on Saturday.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Two passenger trains collided head-on in the area of Sloterdijk in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, local authorities have confirmed. One 68-year-old woman died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. At least 117 were also reportedly injured in the crash.

One of the two trains involved in the crash was en route from Den Helder to Nijmegen while the second was going between Uitgeest and the Dutch capital. Neither train derailed. Reports suggest the two trains, one a regional stop system vehicle and the other an inter-city rail service, were not seriously damaged in the incident yesterday at 1830 CEST (1630 UTC).

The exact number of people injured varies by source; BBC News Online has reported approximately 125 on Saturday and 117 Sunday, while the London Stock Exchange reported a figure of 121 experiencing minor, severe or very severe injuries yesterday. Passengers were assisted out of the train carriages, with those injured transported to hospital.

Speaking on behalf of police, Ed Kraszewski informed Netherlands news network AT5 of 51 individuals being "seriously or very seriously injured" and another seventy suffering minor injuries. Kraszewski commented on how the spaciousness of one of the train's carriages possibly contributed to the passengers' injuries and spoke of the assumption that "many people were thrown around the train by the crash; against walls, seats and other people", adding that neck injuries and broken bones were among the kinds of injury experienced.

How the two trains ended up travelling towards each other is uncertain at this stage. An investigation into the accident's cause has commenced.

Rail services have been disrupted as a result of the incident, with trains travelling between Amsterdam Centraal and Schiphol Airport being suspended.

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Sloterdijk train collision

Sources

"Dutch train crash: Woman dies of her injuries" — BBC News Online, April 22, 2012
Press Association. "Scores injured in train collision" — London Stock Exchange, April 22, 2012
"Netherlands train crash: Scores injured in Amsterdam" — BBC News Online, April 21, 2012

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