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Evert Elzinga / EPA
Rescue workers evacuate injured passengers at the scene of a train collision near Amsterdam on Saturday.
AMSTERDAM -- Almost 125 people were injured, many seriously, when two Dutch commuter trains crashed head-on in Amsterdam on Saturday, police said.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities, but of those injured, 13 suffered major injuries while 43 or 44 were badly injured, a spokesman said. About 70 suffered minor injuries.
A trauma helicopter was used to bring the injured to hospital, a spokesman for railways group NS said.
The trains did not serve Schiphol international airport, the NS spokesman added, but the accident disrupted airport train service.
Some people were lifted from the wreckage by cranes while others were led away from the crash site in protective wraps to dozens of waiting ambulances, while police cars and fire trucks stood by.
"We heard a loud bang. I went outside and saw people on the street in panic," a woman at the scene told broadcaster AT5.
"We then saw what had happened. Quite quickly there were emergency services at the scene. It was managed well. Some people had head wounds, others were limping."
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One of the trains involved in the crash serves the cities of Den Helder and Nijmegen, while the other runs between Amsterdam and Uitgeest, the railways spokesman said.
Netherlands public broadcaster NOS aired video footage showing two trains that had collided.
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Leave a Comment:
hope everyone is okay. what about the drivers nothing was said about them
The drivers probably bailed as soon as they saw each other coming. They're probably in a cafe' right now burning a fattie & having a good laugh.
They probably smoked a fatty before they got on the train that is what caused them to crash.
ssssssuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh.......................................................................aaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Like where's Casey Jones when you need him, man?
Probably applying for cruise ship captain positions ? lol
The trains are directed by electronic versions of the old signals. It should be impossible for 2 trains to be on the same section of track simultaneously without major alerts going off. The drivers aren't at fault -- they don't even have the power to switch to a different set of tracks. They can stop the trains, but depending on how fast the trains are going, it can take over a mile. Judging by the damage to the trains, they weren't going very fast when they hit, so I'm betting the drivers both engaged the emergency brakes as soon as they saw the other train coming, then fled to the back of the engine so they wouldn't get killed.
amsterdamning.....
Two trains playing chicken on the same railroad track will never turn out well ....
Was at a Barns&Noble book store today and they had a magazine devoted to .... train wrecks. I thought it quite odd, had numerous pictures of wrecks over the years. Did not come across Casey Jones I am sad to report to any and all Deadheads.
Our government in the Netherlands resigns at monday. They lost the majority. New elections this summer. Oh yes. An accident with a train happened too. Whatever.
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Could have been a major tragedy. Thoughts and prayers with them.
see what happens when you legalize marijuana?
the engineers both thought they were looking into mirrors
Naahhh They must have been loaded. You know, that stuff called booze that kills thousands every year. They usually get bombed at ant-pot or NRA rallies & take out some poor innocent victim driving home in the process. Show me, in all recorded history, that pot ever killed anyone. Never happened. The only death I know that the person who died while smoking pot was a victim hit by a drunk driver. You named yourself right, you must be MAD!
Is that a fact or are you talking out your azz.
I would say the accident was the fault of the switchman and not the engineers. I see nothing funny about a tragedy like this.
The reason for no recorded leathal accidents due to Hemp use, is there is no recognised reliable test for toxsisity at this time. It is called DUI or DWI for a reason. Not DWUM you ass, go look that up.
It can be measured with a urine test up to 30 days , and Hair test up to six months.
DUI/DWI lose alcohol one hour per drink.
And the Liberals want more trains for the U.S.
Ever since they privatized the Dutch railway system (1991?), the system has gone to hell in a hand basket. Not saying the accident had anything to do with it, but it's food for thought. Very sad.
In the real world of facts some 2.9 million people were injured in car accidents in the U.S. each year from 2000 to 2005 (Federal Highway Administration). Train passengers injured per year during the same period in the U.S. was less than 2,000 (DOT). Getting from point A to point B by train is by far much safer than driving there in a car.
Bill, thats a non-sense stat, there are hundreds of millions more miles traveled in cars per year than trains, of course there are more injuries.
Pretty sure more folks die in car wrecks than train wrecks in any given year...even allowing for miles traveled (since in many parts of the world train traveled miles are MORE than car traveled miles) but make a stupid comment...just because you can...Isn't free speech wonderful? Lets idiots show the world their lack of brains!
You could always move to the other side of the tracks and become a Conservative.
somebody got some splainin' to do.
Who the? What the? Where the? When the? And sometimes "Y".
From the article:
"We then saw what had happened. Quite quickly there were emergency services at the scene. It was managed well. Some people had head wounds, others were limping."
Yeah, well, could the whole incident have been avoided if IT WAS MANAGED WELL FROM THE START???? As if this is acceptable???? OK, yes, for two motor vehicles, but NOT PASSENGER TRAINS!!! Does anyone else sense a failure in HOW THIS WAS MANAGED??? Maybe it is just me..idk
The way the Europeans drive No Wonder
...this type of sh!t happens every day. Just be glad it wasn't your day!!!
Hell, they musta not been doing 5 MPH, not much damage to the engines.
No Safety Protocalls there, huh!
"Made in Holland"?
stuff happens man.
looks like they weren't travelling that fast based on the damage, so they prob tried to avert the disaster once the realized they would hit. hopefully there will be no fatalities to report.
From the picture, it looks like the engineers were able to slow down those trains quite a bit before they hit - could have been a lot worse!
Looks like a low-speed fender-bender...yawn...
its amsterdam, bet they were driving my train ,high on cocaine !!!
Got to give the engineers credit for stopping there trains, if they were moving at any good rate of speed there would be alot more wreckage, it looks like only minor damage to the engines. must of been the brakes locking up sending people flying. Good job to the engineers stoping in time
The running of the trains on the tracks is programming. However, if there is mechanical malfunction, the signal may be delayed by whatever reasons. Hope that it is just mechanical problem that leading to both trains had no awareness of each other's existence.
Condolences and prayers go to the victims' family and friends.
There is noone dead yet, but nonetheless condolences accepted.
very f n lucky people coulda been wayyyy worse ...
Folks, America had a three-train hit just a few months back. Derailment for two of 'em. Shucks. Management?