Boy, 9, loses hand in accident on Dutch lake

A 9-year-old boy lost his hand in an accident on the Markermeer on Monday afternoon. The boy was swimming on the lake with friends, using a sailboat as a dive board. When the boy jumped, his hand got stuck somewhere on the boat and tore off, RTL Nieuws reports.

Exactly what went wrong is not yet clear. According to a spokesperson for rescue organization KNRM, eyewitnesses say the boy's hand got stuck on the rigging - a thick rope or steel wire that keeps the mast attached to the ship. The sailboat was about 15 kilometers from Enkuizen at the time.

A rescue boat was sent to pick up the boy and rush him to shore, where a trauma helicopter stood ready to take him to the AMC in Amsterdam. The hospital has the "specialist help" the boy needs, the KNRM spokesperson said to RTL. According to the organization, the boy's hand was retrieved, packaged on ice and sent to the Amsterdam hospital.

The boy's companions were "terrified and emotional" by the incident, according to the KNRM. Victim assistance were offered to them.