The American woman who died in an accident involving a rubbish collection lorry in Amsterdam this week has been named as Cindy Charles, head of music at interactive live-streaming service Twitch.

Charles, 69, was in the Dutch capital for the Amsterdam Dance Event, the annual dance music industry conference that takes place every October. She had been due to take part in a panel session on Thursday.

Amsterdam city council has launched an investigation into the accident which happened on the Passeerdersgracht, in the centre of the city, at a narrow spot on the canal where pedestrians have to wait to let vehicles pass.

The lorry was travelling against the one-way system when the accident happened. One witness said he heard the lorry back up when it saw a car approach from the opposite direction just before the woman was knocked down.

According to the council, garbage trucks are allowed them to go against the traffic in some situations, such as when a road is closed off.