At least four people lost their lives this Tuesday after a collision between a passenger train and a school minibus in the Belgian town of Buggenhout, in the north of the country, after the vehicle entered the train tracks when the level crossing was closed.
According to the federal Minister of Mobility, Jean-Luc Crucke, to the RTL network, among the fatalities are two of the seven minors who were traveling on the bus, the driver and the adult who accompanied the schoolchildren.
A spokeswoman for the town council said that families will be informed of the identity of the victims, who are being treated at a nearby school, before publicly confirming the number of deaths, adding that the mayor, Geert Hermans, is at the scene of the accident coordinating the investigation.
The collision took place around 8:15 local time when, according to Belgian federal police spokesperson An Berger, the minibus was traveling on a track parallel to the railway line and wanted to turn left, crossing the tracks. “The barrier was down at that time and the vehicle was hit by a train,” Berger said in statements to Flemish television.
The hundred passengers on the train have emerged unharmed, although one of them was treated for “shock”, while seven students – schoolchildren from a special education center -, a responsible adult and the driver were traveling on the bus.
According to the federal police, the railway police, the prosecutor’s office, a traffic expert and the forensic laboratory are already at the scene of the accident.
“The circumstances are currently being fully investigated. Our helicopter has flown over the area to obtain an aerial view of the accident site,” Berger added.
