Train collides with minibus of children in Belgium and four people are dead
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Emergency personnel work at a level crossing to move a van onto a flatbed truck after it collided with a train in Buggenhout, Belgium, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)
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Police and rescue personnel work around a level crossing where a train collided with a van in Buggenhout, Belgium, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)
BUGGENHOUT, Belgium (AP) — A train travelling at high speed hit a minibus crossing a railway in Belgium on Tuesday, killing four people, including two children, and badly injuring five other children in what officials called one of the worst rail accidents in the country’s history.
It appeared that the minibus drove through the closed crossing barrier, officials said.
A security camera showed the bus, carrying nine people, was moving when the train hit it.
The collision happened during morning rush hour near Buggenhout town, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Brussels.
The bus driver and an escort were killed along with two children aged 12 and 15, said Lisa De Wilde, spokesperson for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office.
She said the injured children were hospitalized in serious condition.
De Wilde told journalists the cause of the crash hadn’t 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 said the minibus driver appeared to have plowed through the barrier. Infrabel said the crossing was working correctly.
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