Two trains collided head-on in Denmark, leaving at least 18 people injured, five of them in critical condition.
The crash occurred on Thursday morning at a railway crossing on Isterødvejen near Hillerod, about 30 km northwest of Copenhagen. Emergency services received reports of the collision shortly before 6:30 a.m.
Images from the scene show the trains stopped face-to-face, with the front section of one of them severely crushed.
North Zealand Police said a technical investigation is underway, but has not yet commented on the cause of the crash. Preliminary information suggests the trains were traveling at high speed, though the exact figures have not yet been established.
All 37 passengers were evacuated, and a military helicopter was deployed to transport the injured to hospitals.
Anders Heimdahl, chief physician for the Copenhagen region’s emergency medical service, said the victims had suffered “many different injuries,” adding: “People were literally thrown around.”
Fire and rescue chief Kristoffer Buhl Martekilde told reporters: “Two trains collided head-on, causing serious damage and sending shards of glass flying everywhere.”
Asked about the possible role of signaling-system errors, Inspector Morten Pedersen said it was “too early” to draw conclusions. “Of course, information—including possible signaling failures—will be taken into account as part of building the overall picture,” he added.