Rescue teams were seen ferrying away the injured in pre-dawn darkness at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague. The accident happened around 3.25am, emergency services said.

Nineteen people were taken to hospital, a fire department spokesperson told Dutch radio. Others were being treated on the spot, the emergency services said. Dutch Railways official Carola Belderbos said the train collided with the crane and the injured included the driver and two conductors.

The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, ANP news agency said. The second carriage was on its side and a fire broke out in the rear carriage but was later extinguished, it said.

Earlier reports said the passenger train had collided with a freight train. Dutch Railways spokesperson Erik Kroeze said a freight train was involved in the accident but could not give details.

Dutch Railways said in a tweet that trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague were cancelled due to the accident.

“This is an incredibly tragic accident,” Voorschoten mayor Nadine Stemerdink said. “We regret there was also a fatality. My thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those involved.”