What a tale! Tram runs off track in Netherlands, gets saved by whale's tail

An elevated tram ran past the end of its tracks and came to a stop on top of a whale's tail.

In a narrow escape, an elevated tram ran past the end of its tracks in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but instead of plunging 10 meters to the ground from a pier, it came to rest delicately on top of a whale's tail. The incident took place on November 3 (Monday).

After this, the conductor emerged shocked but unharmed and there were no passengers on board. The tram was actually saved by a statue of the whale's tail. The statue coincidentally is titled "Saved by a Whale`s Tale" and had not been intended to actually save a train.

"Of course it does look rather poetic," artist and architect Maarten Struijs was quoted as saying by the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, reported news agency Reuters. "But it`s really lucky that the tail can bear the weight of the train," Struijs added.

The suspended tram car could be seen by passers-by in the streets below. Amid calls on social media to leave it as a permanent addition to the artwork, Rotterdam Metro and local officials said it would not be safe.

Engineers were studying how the tram car and several others derailed behind it could be safely removed.