Brussels: Four people, including two children, died after a school minibus struck a train at a level crossing in Buggenhout, northern Belgium, on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The minibus, carrying seven pupils, a 49-year-old driver and a 27-year-old chaperone, was involved in the collision shortly after 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) as it attempted to cross railway tracks on its route to a special education school, federal police spokeswoman An Berger said. Two of the children, aged 12 and 15, and two adults were killed, as reported by BBC.
Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke confirmed that the crossing barriers were lowered when the crash occurred and offered his sympathy: “My first thoughts are with the victims.”
Five other children on board were taken to hospital in critical but stable condition, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor told reporters. No passengers on the train were injured, although Berger said one person was being treated for shock.
Berger said the minibus had been driving on a road parallel to the railway before turning left onto the level crossing while the barrier was already down. CCTV footage and initial signals from the Belgian rail network Infrabel suggest the crossing lights were red and the barrier was down at the time, Thomas Baeken, an Infrabel spokesman, told public broadcaster VRT.
“How this accident could have happened, we don’t know. That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate,” he added.
Images from the scene showed the minibus lying on its side beside the track in the small town near Aalst, northwest of Brussels, apparently thrown some distance by the impact.
Local and European officials expressed condolences. Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir wrote on social media: “What heartbreaking news. My thoughts are with all the victims, their families and everyone closely involved.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today, Europe grieves with Belgium.” Flemish minister Annick De Ridder told Belgian TV it was too early to assign responsibility.
An investigation into the collision has been opened by police and the public prosecutor.