Five killed, many hurt in southern Netherlands crash

Five people were killed and five people were hurt when a passenger van collided with a truck. At least four of those killed were in the van. The driver of the truck and multiple people from the van were initially reported injured. The truck driver was trapped in his vehicle after the accident, police said.

The accident happened just after 4:20 p.m. on Monday along the N270 just east of Helmond, Noord-Brabant. Within minutes two different helicopter ambulances were dispatched to the scene, along with several paramedic teams and firefighters.

Het ongeval op de #N270 in #Helmond heeft inmiddels ook een vijfde leven geëist. Vier personen, waaronder vrachtwagenchauffeur, zijn zwaargewond naar ziekenhuis vervoerd. pic.twitter.com/uHrhuzDkBy

— Press Photography BZO (@DistrictBrabant) March 19, 2018

Photos from the scene showed a white Ford Transit van, which seats nine people, with a heavily damaged front end, collapsed roof, and metal panels that twisted in the wreckage. It collided with a truck belonging Mierlo-based sewage company Adriaans, according to AD.

The front of the truck also showed damage. It is not clear if the two vehicles struck each other head on.

Authorities was offering counseling services to anyone who witnessed the accident, a regional police district said on twitter.

Police shut the N270 between Helmond and Deurne following the accident. They later said the stretch of road would remain closed until after 9 p.m.

The company's owner, Harold Adriaans, was at the police station discussing the accident, the site said. The truck driver was in his vehicle alone.