Narrow Escape: Dutch Whale Tail Structure Catches Metro Train From Falling, Driver Gets Out Unharmed

During a lucky narrow escape which would have led to a lot of devastation, a train in the Netherlands got saved by a fortuitously placed art installation.

According to a BBC report, a metro train in Spijkenisse, near the city of Rotterdam, crashed through a barrier at the end of the tracks, shortly before midnight, on Sunday.

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AP

Fortunately, instead of falling down 32 feet and into the water, the train remained suspended mid-air dramatically. It ended up being delicately balanced on the large sculpture of a whale's tail at the De Akkers metro station.

Around 50 people were at the scene late Monday morning as engineers tried to work out how to stabilize and then remove the train amid strengthening winds. A team of experts is investigating how we can make it safe and get it down,¡± Carly Gorter, a spokeswoman for the local security authority, told AP during a telephone interview.

¡°It¡¯s tricky,¡± she added.

"We are trying to decide how we can bring the train down in a careful and controlled manner," one official told the Dutch national broadcaster NOS, on Monday.

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AP

The unnamed train driver was able to the leave the empty train by himself and was taken to the hospital for a check-up. He has not sustained any injuries.

The sculpture which saved his life is titled 'Whale Tails' and is the work of the architect and artist Maarten Strujis. It was erected in the water at the end of the tracks in 2002. Mr Struijs told NOS that he was surprised that the structure did not break.

"It has been there for almost 20 years and... you actually expect the plastic to pulverise a bit, but that is apparently not the case," he said.

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AP

He added, "I'll make sure that I get a few photos," he added. "I could never have imagined it that way."

AP

What luck, eh?