Amsterdam: A passenger train carrying at least 50 people derailed in the Netherlands early on Tuesday after hitting construction equipment on the track and several people were 'seriously injured', Dutch emergency services said.

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 had said the passenger train had collided with a freight train.

Rescue teams were at the scene of the accident near Voorschoten, a village between Leiden and The Hague, a notice from the emergency services said.

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