A woman lost fingers from both her hands on Monday evening after she was hit by a commuter Dart train in Dublin.

Passengers fainted as they witnessed the scene unfold at Dun Laoghaire Dart station in South Dublin.

The Evening Herald reports that the woman, understood to be in her early twenties, was hit by a north-bound Greystones to Malahide train as it arrived in the station, shortly before 8pm.

Paramedics spent more than 40 minutes trying to free the woman, who was trapped under the train.

It is understood she lost the tops of her fingers on one hand and all of her fingers on the other, as a result of the accident.

The young woman was taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital in South Dublin, where she was said to be in a stable condition.

Police and Irish Rail officials are attempting to establish the circumstances that led to the accident.