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 was carrying seven boys, 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).

Federal police spokeswoman An Berger said it had been on its way to a special education school.

Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke confirmed reports that the barriers on a level crossing had been down when the crash happened.

The other five children who were on the bus were in a critical but stable condition in hospital, the public prosecutor's spokeswoman said.

It later emerged that the two boys who died were both from the town of Bornem, 12km (7.5 miles) north of Buggenhout.

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.

The impact of the crash was extremely violent, as the train was travelling at about 90km/h. 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.

The train remained stationary at the level crossing, as investigators carried out their work.

"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."

"Today, Europe grieves with Belgium," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

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. Other sources who saw the footage told Belgian media that the minibus could be seen striking the barrier before the crash.

"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.

In a press conference late on Tuesday afternoon, the public prosecutor's office said the train driver had passed a breathalyser test and a post mortem examination was being conducted on the minibus driver, who had no criminal convictions.

No further details were given about the condition of the five children in hospital.

King Philippe has expressed his gratitude to the emergency services, and wished everyone involved "a lot of strength and support in the face of this dramatic event".

The mayor of Buggenhout, Geert Hermans, concluded a press conference by calling for a minute of silence to honour the victims.