The explosion on a train in a siding in Nijmegen on Sunday in which a man died was caused by firework bombs, police have confirmed.

The body of the man, who has not been named, was found in the toilet of the train where the bombs were set off. A witness had earlier reported a strong smell of gun powder which seemed to indicate fireworks.

Various sources confirmed to the AD that the man wanted to take his own life.

The explosion happened on Sunday morning while the train was waiting in a depot at the city’s central station. The vehicle was otherwise empty and nobody else was injured, but police said the incident had had a ‘big impact’.

Debris from the train landed in gardens and on roofs in a radius of over 100 metres and the blast caused windows to shatter.

ProRail said its publication on Twitter of photos of the train was not in contravention of the media guidelines in cases of suspected suicide. ‘They are discreet and reveal nothing about the cause of the explosion. We just wanted to show the impact of the blast,’ a spokesperson told the AD.