Shocking images of a bizarre train derailment in The Netherlands

One person has been confirmed dead in a train accident that happened in a Dutch town near The Hague, The Netherlands, early in the morning on April 4.

"A terrible train accident near Voorschoten, where unfortunately one person died and many people were injured," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a tweet as he confirmed the news to the world.

In pitch black, at 3.52 am in Voorschoten, a train carrying about 50 passengers hit construction equipment on the track and derailed. The front carriage separated and was flung into a field after the accident as ANP news agency reports.

Photos show the front of the train was badly damaged.

Images from the press at the site showed people using temporary bridges and ladders to reach the train and those inside. Many windows in the train carriages were broken.

It seems that the force and direction of the derailed train brought one of the overhead power lines down.

The second carriage derailed onto its side and a fire broke out, but CNN confirms that this was shortly extinguished.

At least one person was killed and over 30 were injured in the accident.

Photo shows the interior of the UMC Utrecht emergency hospital, operational to treat people injured after the derailment.

Nineteen of the passengers on board, including the passenger train operator, had to be taken to hospital. ABC News explains that others were treated in houses in the surrounding area.

The equipment operator sadly passed away as a result of this tragic event. Dutch construction group BAM confirmed that its employee had died in the accident.

"We heard a bang first and then later, a much more intense one," one local resident told the AFP news agency. "Then we heard people screaming. It was not good."

Local news channel Omroep West television news cited a terrified witness saying: "We heard a loud bang and suddenly the lights went out… We couldn't initially get out of the train because there was no electricity."

But what caused this terrible accident? Why did the train derail and why was construction equipment left on the tracks?

The cause is still unclear and authorities are investigating the accident, but a number of reports have hinted to another train also being somehow involved in the accident.

An eyewitness told Dutch broadcaster NOS that a freight train could have actually hit the construction equipment first, somehow causing the trailing passenger train to derail behind it.

CNN adds that Dutch Railways (NS) spokesperson Erik Kroeze said a freight train was involved in the accident but could not give details.

The driver of the freight train has reportedly also been checked over and examined. Freight operator DB Cargo has confirmed he is fine, as ABC News reports.

The equipment on the tracks turned out to be a crane, as John Voppen, CEO of ProRail said during a press conference. "The crane was being used for maintenance on the two tracks that were not in use."

"I have been working in the rail industry for years and I don't understand how this could have happened," the ProRail train expert said to the press.

As investigations continue, the mystery unfolds; but in the meantime, messages of support and sadness have flooded in from politicians and royalty as well as from people across the globe.

A statement from the Royal House said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the train accident at Voorschoten and their families… Many are now in fear and uncertainty. We deeply sympathize with all of them."