Elderly Woman Dies After Amsterdam Train Collision

[News_Editor]

Elderly woman dies after Amsterdam train collision 2012-04-23 11:20:58 GMT+7 (ICT) AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- An elderly woman died of her injuries on Sunday after two passenger trains collided in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam a day earlier, the city's mayor said. More than 110 other passengers were injured, many of them seriously.The accident happened at around 6:30 p.m. local time on Saturday when two passenger trains collided head-on on a track in Sloterdijk, a village which is part of Amsterdam-West. Many passengers in the train were thrown across the carriages as a result of the impact, injuring many of them.Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan said a 68-year-old woman who was injured in the crash died on Sunday. "Our thoughts are with the family of the woman for who the train accident was disastrous," he said. "We wish them a lot of strength to cope with this loss. I wish everyone with light and severe injuries a quick recovery."City officials said 117 people were injured in Saturday's accident, including 42 people who are described as having suffered 'severe injuries'. "Of the 42 persons with severe injuries, 18 of them have been hospitalized for further treatment," a city spokesperson said, without giving other details.Officials at both Dutch Railways and ProRail, which controls the country's railway network infrastructure, expressed their shock at the death of the elderly passenger. "This is a black day," said Dutch Railways president Bert Meerstadt. "On behalf of all Dutch Railways employees our compassion and condolences go to the relatives of the victim, and I wish them a lot of strength with this terrible loss."Both the Dutch Safety Board and the Inspection for Environment and Transport (ILT) are investigating the cause of the accident, but officials have released few details about the circumstances. Sources at ProRail and Dutch Railways told the Telegraaf newspaper on Monday that one of the train drivers may have missed a red signal due to the sun shining directly into the cockpit.The black boxes of both trains have been recovered.The country's worst ever railway accident happened in January 1962 when two passenger trains collided amid foggy weather near the town of Harmelen in Utrecht province. The disaster left 93 people killed, including the drivers of both trains, and injured 52 other passengers.

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