Four killed as school minibus collides with train in Belgium

Two children, aged 12 and 15, and two adults have been killed in a collision between a train and a school minibus in Buggenhout, northern Belgium.The bus had been carrying seven children, a driver, 49, and a chaperone, 27, at the time of the collision, which took place shortly after 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT)."The bus was on its way to a special education school. It concerns mainly secondary school children," said Federal Police spokeswoman An Berger. Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke confirmed reports that the barriers on a level crossing had been down when the crash happened. "My first thoughts are with the victims," he said.The other five children on the bus are in a critical but stable condition in hospital, the public prosecutor's spokeswoman told reporters, adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident.Nobody on the train was hurt, although one person was being treated for shock, according to Berger.She said the minibus driver had been driving on a street parallel to the railway and then turned left on to the level crossing while the barrier was already down.