Four people killed after minibus collides with train in Belgium

The minibus, carrying nine people, drove through closed crossing barriers during the morning rush hour near the town of Buggenhout.At least four people have been killed, including two children, after a train travelling at high speed hit a minibus carrying special needs children crossing a railway in Belgium.According to Belgian authorities on Tuesday, the minibus, carrying nine people, drove through the closed crossing barriers during the morning rush hour near the town of Buggenhout, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Brussels.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Lukaku included in Belgium’s World Cup squad despite injury-plagued seasonlist 2 of 4World Cup 2026 base camps: Where will the 48 teams stay and train?list 3 of 4Several nations summon Israeli envoys as Ben-Gvir taunts flotilla activistslist 4 of 4US imposes sanctions on Gaza flotilla organisers: Why it mattersend of listMoreover, a spokesperson for the Belgian rail operator Infra-Bel told the RTBF public broadcaster that the train was travelling at an estimated 120 kph (75 mph) as it approached the crossing and had “no time to brake”.“The impact was extremely violent,” Frederic Sacre said.Spokesperson for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office, Lisa De Wilde, said the bus driver, 49, and an escort, 27, were killed along with two children aged 12 and 15.Five children were injured and were hospitalised in a serious condition, she said, adding that the cause of the crash had not yet been established.“What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” she said.Federal Police spokesperson An Berger also said that the minibus driver appeared to have ploughed through the barrier.“The van came from Kerkhofstraat, a road running parallel to the railway line, and turned left toward Vierhuizen, crossing the railway at a point that was closed at the time. The van was hit by an oncoming train,” Berger said.A Forensic Police officer inspects the damaged bus at the site of an accident after a train crashed into a school bus, at the railway crossing Vierhuizen in Buggenhout, some 20 km north of Brussels [AFP]Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on X that he was “deeply moved by the horrific accident in Buggenhout”.