Rotterdam mayor visits scene of "terrible" tram accident; Seven hospitalized
Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten visited the Erasmus Bridge where two RET trams collided earlier on Wednesday. She went to the scene to be informed about what had happened and to thank the emergency services for their efforts, she told Rijnmond, speaking of a “terrible accident.” Fifteen people were injured.
A total of seven people were taken to the hospital after the collision, including the one person with critical injuries, Veiligheidsregio Rotterdam-Rijnmond reported. The critically injured person had been trapped in the tram, and firefighters had to cut them free. Paramedics treated the other victims at the scene and sent them home to recover.
Mayor Schouten expressed support for the victims and appreciation for the first responders. “This is an intense incident,” she told Rijnmond. “This is, of course, right in the middle of the city in a very visible spot. That is why I thought it was important to come here.”
State Secretary Annet Bertram, who is responsible for public transport, also expressed her condolences. “What a terrible accident in Rotterdam involving two trams. I sympathize with the victims.”
The accident happened at 11:10 a.m. and could be seen on the city’s live webcam. One tram was standing still at the open bridge when another rear-ended it at high speed.
According to an ANP reporter at the scene, emergency response seems to be at an end, and the clearing of the wreckage has begun. A truck is being loaded with debris. The bridge has been reopened for shipping traffic, but is still closed to cars, trams, bicycles, and pedestrians.
The cause of the accident is not yet known. The police are investigating. The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) also deployed two investigators to the Erasmus Bridge for a preliminary investigation into the collision, a spokesperson told ANP.
Rijnmond spoke to two passengers who were on the front tram. “Suddenly I saw another tram coming towards me. And then I hit my head. I don’t remember anything else,” Milaisa told the broadcaster. “We were just standing still and were hit. A man in front of me was really seriously injured. Nothing happened to me, thank God, but I was sitting in front of him. That was very scary.”
“It was a loud bang; I thought it was a bomb,” another passenger told the broadcaster. “I have pain in my neck and back. I was very shocked.”
