A Dutch schoolgirl from The Hague has died on a sailing ship on the Waddenzee, when part of the mast fell on her, police have said.

The girl, who has not been named, is under 18 and was on a school trip organised by Dalton Den Haag secondary school. She died of her injuries on the spot.

Police said the accident happened at about midday and there were another 15 people on the boat. The ship was sailing near Terschelling and was brought to harbour in Harlingen, where the victims were offered help.

‘It was a girl who was on an introductory sailing week with Dalton Den Haag when this disastrous accident occurred,’ Arno Peters, chair of the executive board of Stichting VO Haaglanden, reportedly told the Telegraaf.

Three Germans died in a shipping accident when the mast fell on them in 2016, according to the Telegraaf. Investigation found the mast was rotten.

Police are investigating the cause of this accident. The boat was reportedly named Risico, Dutch for risk.