BRUSSELS – Several people were killed when a train hit a school minibus carrying seven children in northern Belgium on May 26, officials said.
Two sources told AFP that there were several fatalities among those on the bus after the collision at a level crossing in the village of Buggenhout.
Belgian media showed images of a badly damaged minibus lying on its side on a road next to a railway line, with tents set up by emergency workers around.
A police spokeswoman told the media that seven children, a supervisor and a driver were aboard the minibus.
Asked by AFP, the Belgian police refused to confirm the casualty toll from the incident.
“The impact was extremely violent,” spokesman for the rail network operator Infrabel, Mr Frederic Sacre said, describing the toll as “dramatic”.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “heartbroken”.
“My deepest condolences go out to the victims’ families and their loved ones. Today, Europe grieves with Belgium,” the European Commission president posted online.
Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin wrote on X that “my thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones”.
“I wish the injured much strength,” he wrote. AFP
