Train with hundreds of passengers derailed near Weert, no injuries

An intercity train with 250 passengers on board was derailed in the early hours of Sunday morning between Weert and Haelen in Limburg. A spokesperson for the fire service said no injuries were reported.

Many of the passengers were young people who were coming back from a fair in Weert. The NS reported just before 3 a.m. that a replacement train would take the travelers to Susteren, south of Roermond, where buses would be waiting. "The intention is that everyone will arrive at their destination tonight," said the NS spokesperson.

The front part of the train was derailed for unknown reasons. That train is still upright, which can also be seen on images from local media. The cause of the derailing is currently under investigation.

Several emergency services rushed to the scene. It was initially thought that there were 500 passengers in the train, but that later turned out to be an inaccurate estimate, according to ProRail. After the derailment, the chief conductor made a tour of the train and, according to an NS spokesperson, there were about 250 passengers. The NS employee also noted that no one had been injured.

Due to the derailed train, the train going in the opposite direction was also stranded, the NS spokesperson said. There were 15 passengers on board that train. They were taken to Eindhoven by bus.

The NS expects that no train traffic will be possible between Weert and Roermond until 6 p.m. on Sunday due to the derailed train and will run according to an adjusted timetable. ProRail was unable to say much about the duration of the salvage work and reported early on Sunday morning that there will certainly be no trains "in the coming hours."