Four killed as school minibus collides with train in Belgium

BRUSSELS — Two children were among four people killed when a school minibus was hit by a train after passing through a barrier at a level crossing in northern Belgium Tuesday morning, police said. Local authorities in Buggenhout in northern Belgium said in a statement that a “serious traffic accident” took place in the town at around 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Photos from the scene showed a minibus laying on its side next to a railway track. The bus was carrying seven children to a special education school at the time of the collision, federal police spokeswoman An Berger said. Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke confirmed reports that the barriers on a level crossing had been down when the crash happened. The fatalities included two pupils aged 12 and 15, as well as a chaperone, 27, and the bus driver, 49, according to Public Prosecution Service spokesperson Lisa De Wilde. The other five children who were on the bus are in a critical but stable condition in hospital, the public prosecutor’s spokeswoman said. She added that an investigation has been launched into the incident. Berger said the minibus had been travelling on a street parallel to the railway and then the driver turned left on to the level crossing while the barrier was already down. At that point, a train was heading through the small town of Buggenhout and ran into the minibus. When asked if the incident was due to human error, Berger said “it’s too early to say anything.” The impact of the crash was extremely violent, as the train was travelling at about 120km/h (75mph). The minibus collided with a pole before being thrown some distance into the driveway of a nearby house. Nobody on the train was hurt, although one person was being treated for shock, according to Berger. “What heartbreaking news,” Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir posted on social media. “My thoughts are with all the victims, their families and everyone closely involved.” “Words fail at the accident in Buggenhout, in which a train and a school bus were involved,” Belgian justice minister Annelies Verlinden said on X. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said she was “heartbroken” to learn of the accident. “My deepest condolences go out to the victims’ families and their loved ones,” she said on X. The train was slowing down at the time of the collision on its approach to Buggenhout station, Thomas Baeken, a spokesman for Belgian rail network Infrabel, told public broadcaster VRT. He added that first indications from CCTV footage confirmed that the lights on the level crossing were red and the barrier was down. “How this accident could have happened, we don’t know. That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate,” Baeken said. Another Flemish minister, Annick De Ridder, told Belgian TV it was terrible news and too early to talk of responsibility at this stage. The mayor of Buggenhout, Geert Hermans, concluded a press conference by calling for a minute of silence to honour the victims.