| Denmark: Two trains collide head-on, leaving five critically hurt, 23 April 2026 Posted by ChrisB at 10:30, 23rd April 2026 |     |
From Sky News via MSN
The crash happened around 40km (25 miles) north of the capital Copenhagen.
At least 12 other people have minor injuries, according to the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department.
The crash prompted a massive emergency response for what police described as a major incident.
Photos from the scene show the front ends of the trains smashed together, with both remaining upright on the tracks.
The two local trains collided on a train line linking the towns of Hillerod and Kagerup, police said.
"It is two local trains that have collided head-on," a spokesperson for the emergency rescue services told Reuters.
"There are injuries among the passengers. Everyone is out of the trains, so no one is trapped," the spokesperson added. "Large resources have been dispatched to the scene."
The injured have been transported away from the scene in ambulances and helicopters, the fire department said.
| Denmark: Two trains collide head-on, leaving five critically hurt, 23 April 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:35, 23rd April 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Two trains collide head-on in Denmark, leaving five critically hurt
The trains collided head-on between the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital
Two trains have collided head-on on a level crossing north west of Copenhagen, leaving five people critically hurt and 12 others with minor injuries, medical officials say.
The trains were travelling early on Thursday on a line linking the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup in the North Zealand area of north-east Denmark, with a total of 38 people on board, according to police.
Tim Ole Simonsen of the Greater Copenhagen fire department was unable to say what led to the crash but told Danish TV that all the injured had been taken to hospital by air or by ambulance.
Local mayor Trine Egetved said she was deeply shaken by the accident.
Public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with visible damage to the front, facing each other in a wooded area.
Officials said the trains collided at 06:29 local time (05:29 BST) on Thursday and fire and rescue teams were alerted immediately.
Egetved, who is mayor of the Gribskov municipality, said those with critical injuries had been flown to the National Hospital in Copenhagen.
"The local track is used by many Gribskov residents, workers and students," she wrote on Facebook.
Denmark's Accident Investigation Board arrived at the scene during the morning and Inspector Morten Pedersen of North Zealand police said they would be working together to find out what had happened.
Pedersen told reporters it was far too early to know the cause of the crash.
Rail accidents are rare in Denmark and one expert suggested one of the train drivers had ended up on the wrong line by over-riding a stop signal as the train left a local station. The Gribskov line is not thought to have been updated with an automated safety system.
Trine Egetved told public broadcaster DR that it was shocking that two trains could collide head-on "and we must ensure it never happens again".
The trains collided head-on between the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital
Two trains have collided head-on on a level crossing north west of Copenhagen, leaving five people critically hurt and 12 others with minor injuries, medical officials say.
The trains were travelling early on Thursday on a line linking the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup in the North Zealand area of north-east Denmark, with a total of 38 people on board, according to police.
Tim Ole Simonsen of the Greater Copenhagen fire department was unable to say what led to the crash but told Danish TV that all the injured had been taken to hospital by air or by ambulance.
Local mayor Trine Egetved said she was deeply shaken by the accident.
Public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with visible damage to the front, facing each other in a wooded area.
Officials said the trains collided at 06:29 local time (05:29 BST) on Thursday and fire and rescue teams were alerted immediately.
Egetved, who is mayor of the Gribskov municipality, said those with critical injuries had been flown to the National Hospital in Copenhagen.
"The local track is used by many Gribskov residents, workers and students," she wrote on Facebook.
Denmark's Accident Investigation Board arrived at the scene during the morning and Inspector Morten Pedersen of North Zealand police said they would be working together to find out what had happened.
Pedersen told reporters it was far too early to know the cause of the crash.
Rail accidents are rare in Denmark and one expert suggested one of the train drivers had ended up on the wrong line by over-riding a stop signal as the train left a local station. The Gribskov line is not thought to have been updated with an automated safety system.
Trine Egetved told public broadcaster DR that it was shocking that two trains could collide head-on "and we must ensure it never happens again".
| Re: Denmark: Two trains collide head-on, leaving five critically hurt, 23 April 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:38, 23rd April 2026 | |
Thanks for posting, ChrisB: we started two topics simultaneously, so I've merged them here.
| Re: Denmark: Two trains collide head-on, leaving five critically hurt, 23 April 2026 Posted by stuving at 12:54, 23rd April 2026 | |
The location is left rather vague in the reports, and Gribskov municipality which is mentioned covers a large area. Having just seen a TV report, the specific place is recognisable as a level crossing, on what looks like a slip road to the A19, 3km north of Hillerød station. Being a crossing is of course a coincidence here, it just made road access easier.
