Amsterdam  - Several people were injured when two cargo trains collided and struck a passenger train Thursday night near Rotterdam, Dutch police said.

Police said there were "relatively few injured" after two cargo trains collided around 10:30 pm (2030 GMT) near Barendrecht outside Rotterdam.

A spokesperson from rail management company ProRail said the passenger train was struck when "one or more cars from the cargo train got sidetracked after colliding with the other cargo train."

The national railways company NS said none of the 150 passengers on the so-called Benelux train, which runs between the Netherlands and Belgium, were injured in the mishap.

Police indicated "dangerous fluids or gasses" might have been spilled in the accident.

Dutch news agency ANP reported the driver of one of the cargo trains was injured and pinned in his cabin. Firefighters were on their way to free the trapped driver, the report said.

NS Railways immediately stopped all train traffic between Rotterdam Central and Dordrecht. Police also closed the A15 motorway, which runs along the railway track in both directions, to enable rescue workers to reach the accident site.

Some passengers who were taken out of the train reported smelling diesel fuel and said they saw "sparks" and "fires" following the collision. (dpa)