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First death in Amsterdam crash

April 22, 2012

A 68-year-old Dutch woman has died from injuries sustained after two trains collided head-on near Amsterdam. Authorities are investigating whether human error or technical failure caused the crash.

https://p.dw.com/p/14jGj
An aerial view of the two trains that collided
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

An elderly woman died Sunday of injuries she received in a head-on train crash near Amsterdam that wounded a total of at least 117 people.

A statement from the city of Amsterdam said a "68-year-old woman from the eastern Netherlands died as a result of her injuries." She was not further identified.

The woman was the first person to die as a result of the accident. The city's statement said the number of seriously injured was 42, while 16 people were still being treated in the hospital. Most of the injured suffered from broken bones and bruises.

The crash took place at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when a local train departing Amsterdam collided head-on with a high-speed train west of the city's central station. Dutch public television NOS reported that two separate investigations are to focus on potential human error or if mechanical fault caused the crash.

"We shouldn't speculate about the causes of this tragedy. This is simply useless. Let's wait for the final conclusions of the investigation," said Bert Meerstadt, director of Dutch railway company NS.

Locomotives towed away the two wrecked trains on Sunday, allowing technicians to examine the tracks for damage. Rail traffic between Amsterdam central station and Schipol airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs, had been closed after the crash but was due to reopen Sunday evening.

acb/jm (AFP, AP, dpa)