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Crashing train saved by whale tail - 16th November 2020

A train which derailed in the Netherlands has escaped plunging 10 metres into the waters below a station after it was 'caught' by an enormous whale tail.

The Dutch metro train crashed through the stop blocks at the end of the tracks at a station in Spijkenisse, outside Rotterdam. It has been left delicately balancing on a whale sculpture's plastic tail 10 metres above ground.

The work of architect and artist Maarten Struijs, the sculpture of two whale tails rising out from water beneath the elevated metro line was installed in 2002. The sculpture's original name was 'Whale Tails', but it has now been amusingly retitled 'Saved by the Whale's Tail' by local authorities.

Mr Struijs expressed his surprise that the structure, made of reinforced polyester, was able to support the train carriage.

"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 commented.

It was a lucky escape for the train driver, who was able to leave the empty train by himself and suffered no injuries.

Emergency services secured the scene and are now wrestling with how to safely remove the carriage from the sculpture.

The cause of the train's derailment is still under investigation.