Tragic Collision: Train Hits School Minibus, Resulting in Child Fatalities

Lisa De Wilde, spokesperson for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office, reported that the children injured in the collision are in serious condition and have been hospitalized.

The tragic incident took place during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, near the town of Buggenhout, located over 30 kilometers northwest of Brussels. The collision involved a minibus at a level crossing.

According to De Wilde, the crash claimed the lives of the minibus driver, an escort, and two children aged 12 and 15. She provided this information during a news conference.

While the exact cause of the collision remains unclear, investigators are currently interviewing witnesses and reviewing security camera footage to gather more details.

“What we do know is that the barrier was down and the red light was on,” De Wilde confirmed.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the badly damaged bus lay toppled on its side, its front section crushed flat.

Forensic experts in protective white suits and wearing gloves were taking photos of the scene. A forensics tent was erected nearby. The train was relatively unscathed.

The train was estimated to be travelling at about 120km/h as it approached the crossing and had “no time to brake”, said Frédéric Sacré, a spokesman for Belgian rail operator Infrabel.

“The impact was extremely violent,” Sacré told RTBF public broadcaster.

Federal Police spokesperson An Berger said that the bus driver appeared to have ploughed through the train barrier.

Infrabel said that the crossing was working correctly. A security camera there showed that the bus, which had nine people aboard, was still moving when the train hit it.

It’s believed that 100 passengers were aboard the train and that none of them were hurt. Rail traffic in the area was halted and bus services provided for travellers. Local officials stood for a minute’s silence after the news conference.

Children played basketball and rode bicycles at a school not far from the scene in this bucolic town.

In a social media post, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed “great sadness” over “the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus was struck by a train”.

“My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones,” he said.