Four people have been killed and several children seriously injured after a passenger train crashed into a school minibus at a level crossing in Buggenhout, Belgium, earlier this morning.
The accident took place at around 8:08 to 8:15am local time at the Vierhuizen level crossing, close to Buggenhout station in East Flanders, around 23 kilometres north-west of Brussels. The minibus was carrying seven schoolchildren, an adult supervisor and the driver when it was hit by the train.
The victims include the driver, an adult chaperone and two children. Belgian reports identified the two children as being aged 12 and 15, while the supervisor was reported to be 27 years old and the driver 49. Five other children were taken to hospital with serious injuries. The children were reportedly on their way to a school for pupils with special needs.
Belgian rail infrastructure operator Infrabel said the crossing barriers were down and the warning lights were red when the minibus entered the crossing. The train driver activated the emergency brake, but the collision could not be avoided. The impact overturned the minibus and threw it to the side of the railway line.
The train was carrying around 100 passengers, none of whom were reported injured. Emergency services were deployed in large numbers and rail traffic in the area was suspended while police, prosecutors and forensic teams investigated the scene.
Belgian officials, including Interior Minister Bernard Quintin and Transport Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, expressed condolences to the victims and their families. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reacted to the tragedy, saying that Europe was grieving with Belgium.
The exact circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, but preliminary information indicates that the minibus entered the closed level crossing despite the barriers and warning lights being activated. Infrabel said CCTV footage confirmed that the crossing was closed at the time of the collision.
Newsroom
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