A public transit tram came to a sudden halt on Duinstraat in The Hague after being struck by lightning on Saturday afternoon, June 27, 2026, amid severe regional storms.
The disabled vehicle blocked the roadway and triggered significant delays across multiple transit lines during a nationwide weather emergency.
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The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) elevated its weather warning to code orange on Saturday evening, forecasting intense thunderstorms across all provinces.
The weather agency warned that the system could produce large hail measuring two to five centimeters, torrential rainfall up to 40 millimeters in a short period, and severe wind gusts reaching 100 kilometers per hour.
National forecasters noted that the extreme conditions are expected to persist, keeping the code orange alert active in South Holland until 4:00 AM on Sunday, while a code yellow heat warning remains effective until 18:00 PM Sunday.
"Dit kan op meerdere plaatsen voor overlast en schade zorgen," stated the KNMI.
The lightning strike occurred at approximately 4:30 PM on Saturday, hitting a Line 1 tram that had been rerouted through Duinstraat due to earlier municipal diversions for Veterans Day.
The impact completely disabled the vehicle's electrical and propulsion systems, necessitating emergency recovery services to tow the vessel from the active roadway.
Transit operator HTM confirmed that all passengers and staff evacuated the vehicle safely without any reported injuries.
Because the disabled vehicle blocked a shared track section, it simultaneously halted operations for Line 11 until emergency crews successfully cleared the scene and restored standard scheduling.
