Dutch train derails near Belgium border, injuring engineer

By Janene Pieters on April 28, 2017 - 08:49
Train derails after crashing into a truck in Wouw, Noord-Brabant, 28 Apr 2017
Train derails after crashing into a truck in Wouw, Noord-Brabant, 28 Apr 2017. (Photo: @MCN_Erremu_1 / Twitter)

A passenger train derailed after colliding with a truck in the Noord-Brabant town of Wouw on Friday morning, local safety office Veiligheidsregio Midden- en West-Brabant reports. As far as is known, no one was seriously injured. The train driver sustained slight injuries, but truck driver managed to get out of the vehicle before the train hit, a spokesperson for the safety office said to NU.nl.

The accident happened on Plantagebaan in Wouw, which is located near the Belgian border. The train was heading towards Roosendaal and hit a truck that apparently came from the direction fo the A58. The train's front cart derailed. The truck is still half on the rails, according to AD. How the accident happened is not yet clear.

An unknown number of passengers are being evacuated from the train. So far no injuries were reported. 

The accident halted all train traffic between Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom. NS deployed buses to transport stranded passengers, but warns that delays of up to 30 minutes must be taken into account. The rail company could not say how long it will be before train traffic can be restarted. 

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