At least 30 people were injured in a collision between three trams close to the Kuip football stadium in Rotterdam on Monday afternoon, Dutch media report.

At least 12 people were taken to hospital. Most of the victims suffered back and neck injuries. It is not clear if anyone was seriously injured.

The cause of the crash is now being investigated. Initial research indicates one tram drove into the back of another which propelled that tram forward into a third.

One of the trams then left the rails. The tram which appeared to have started the chain reaction was the most severely damaged.

Tram traffic on the 2, 20 and 25 routes has now been halted and traffic is disrupted around the Breeplein, Nos television says.