A train that sped over the end of the high tracks in the Netherlands on Monday swayed about 30 feet off the ground. However, no one was injured or killed in the accident – thanks to a sculpture of a whale’s tail that prevented the train from submerging.
“It’s like being in a Hollywood movie,” said Ruud Natrop, a security spokesman in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region where the accident occurred. “Thank god the tail was there.”
According to local news agencies, the derailment in the town of Spijkenisse occurred on Monday around 12:30 p.m. The driver was the only person on the city train and was uninjured, said Mr Natrop, and was taken to the hospital for examination and then to the police station for questioning.
Mr Natrop said there was no evidence that the driver did anything wrong and the train officials are investigating how safety systems failed to stop the train.
Locals couldn’t resist stepping out to see the strange sight of a train car dangling over the platform edge on the sea creature’s 32-foot stern. Laughter was heard in the background of news footage capturing the first few episodes. However, officials warned viewers to adhere to coronavirus measures and keep their distance.
Discussions have been held on how the train can be removed. This requires heavy equipment such as cranes anchored in the ground.
“It rains all the time – the grass is not stable,” said Mr Natrop. “That’s a problem.”
Maarten Struijs, who created the sculpture, told Dutch broadcaster NOS that the image of the wagon balancing on the stern looked like a work of art itself, but added that he was concerned about the structure of the nearly 20-year-old structure.
“That’s very exaggerated,” said Joey Bremer, a photographer whose tweeted photos of the dangling train soon went viral.
When he got to the scene shortly after the accident – at the end of a railway line in a residential area – it was quiet, “don’t panic, absolutely nothing,” he said. But when he came back in daylight, hundreds of people would have gathered.
“It’s almost an attraction,” he said.
Mr Bremer said he was surprised by the attention his pictures got when he woke up to thousands of retweets and hundreds of messages on Monday.
“I stood there in disbelief last night,” he said. “I’ve been doing this job for about 10 years, but it’s one to remember. You can’t make that up. “
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