Dutch Train Crash
© Evert Elzinga/EPADutch rescue workers at the scene of the train crash in Amsterdam.
More than 100 passengers have been injured after two trains collided head-on in Amsterdam. Of those hurt, at least 56 suffered severe injuries and 13 were in a critical condition, according to a police spokesman.

The crash, involving an inter-city train and a local stopping service, happened near Sloterdijk, to the west of the capital, at around 4.30pm.

A police spokesman, Ed Kraszewski, told Amsterdam's AT5 news station that the spaciousness of the carriages on one of the trains may have contributed to injuries.

"We assume many people were thrown around the train by the crash - against walls, seats and other people," he said.

He added that some of the victims had broken bones and neck injuries.

One of the trains was serving the cities of Den Helder and Nijmegen. The other ran between Amsterdam and Uitgeest, a railway official said.

The accident happened at a busy section of the Dutch rail network, disrupting services between Amsterdam and The Hague and also to Schiphol airport outside Amsterdam.

One passenger, Giovanni Laisina, said: "Everybody was in panic. Everybody was screaming. A lot of people were injured. There was a lot of blood.

"I was shocked in the beginning, but because I don't have any injures at all ... for me it's OK. It's a little bit surreal."

It is not clear how the trains ended up on the same track. An investigation into the cause of the collision is under way.