Train derails and lands on a whale's tail

The accident that took place in Spijkenisse, near Rotterdam, where a train on the city's metro line derailed at the end of the line and got suspended 10 meters high, could have turned into a tragedy.

The main car is partially hovering on the sculpture of a whale's tail erected in front of the station, which prevented the train from falling into the water below.

The episode occurred shortly after midnight on 2 November, when there were no passengers on board. The driver was unharmed but was taken to hospital for a precautionary check.

"We are trying to decide how to bring the train down in a careful and controlled manner," an official told the Dutch national broadcaster Nos. The driver, who remained anonymous, managed to get off the train on his own. He was taken to hospital for a check-up and is believed not to have suffered any injuries.

The sculpture, entitled Whale Tails, is the work of architect and artist Maarten Struijs, and was erected in the water at the end of the station tracks in 2002. "It has been there for almost 20 years and... You would expect the plastic to be pulverised at least a little bit, but luckily it hasn't been like that," Struijs told Nos, surprised that the statue stood up to the train hit. "I'll make sure I get some photos," he added. "I could never have imagined it like that."

Ph: Nos.nl