Two trains collided in Denmark on Thursday, injuring 17 people, five of them critically, authorities said.

The incident happened near ​Hillerod, north ​of ‌Copenhagen, and police received alerts about the crash at about 6:30 a.m. (0430 GMT).

"We can't provide any details for now about the cause of the accident," police official Morten Kaare Pedersen told reporters.

What do we know about the commuter train crash in Denmark?

A police statement called the crash a "serious accident" and said that police and emergency services were mobilized in "large numbers." 

"It is two local trains that ‌have collided head-on," ‌a Greater Copenhagen fire department spokesperson said.

"There ​are injuries among the passengers," the spokesperson said. "⁠Everyone ​is ​out of the trains, ​so no ‌one is trapped."

Accident casts shadow over reputation of transportation system

Denmark prides itself on having a safe transportation system, but there have been accidents in the past.

In 2019, a train crash left eight dead and 16 injured. In August last year, one person died and 27 were injured after a train collided with a slurry tanker and derailed in southern Denmark, near the German border. 

Edited by: Sean Sinico