Two children and two adults have died after a train collided with a school minibus at a level crossing in northern Belgium, authorities said.
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The crash happened shortly after 08:00 local time on Tuesday in the town of Buggenhout, near Aalst, northwest of Brussels.
The minibus was carrying seven children, a 49-year-old driver and a 27-year-old chaperone on the way to a special education school when the collision occurred.
Federal police spokeswoman An Berger said the victims included two children aged 12 and 15, along with the driver and chaperone. The five other children were taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Belgian officials said nobody on board the train was injured, although one person was treated for shock.
Crossing barriers were down
Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke said initial reports indicated the level crossing barriers were already lowered when the minibus entered the tracks.
“My first thoughts are with the victims,” he said.
According to police, the driver had been travelling along a road running parallel to the railway before turning left onto the crossing.
A train approaching Buggenhout station then struck the vehicle.
Thomas Baeken, a spokesman for Belgian rail infrastructure operator Infrabel, said CCTV footage appeared to confirm that warning lights were red and the barriers were down at the time of the collision.
“The train was slowing down as it approached Buggenhout station,” he told Belgian broadcaster VRT.
“How this accident could have happened, we don't know. That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate,” he added.
Investigation launched
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Images from the scene showed the overturned minibus beside the railway line near residential homes. Witnesses said the force of the impact threw the vehicle some distance from the crossing.
Belgian officials said it was too early to assign responsibility for the incident.
Flemish transport minister Annick De Ridder described the collision as “terrible news”.
Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir said on social media that her thoughts were with the victims, their families and those affected by the tragedy.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed condolences, saying: “Today, Europe grieves with Belgium.”
Community in shock
Buggenhout, a small town in the Flemish region of Belgium, was left shaken by the incident as emergency services continued working at the scene throughout the morning.
Rail services in the area were disrupted following the crash while investigators examined the crossing and gathered evidence. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 26 May 2026
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