Train Hits School Minibus in Belgium, Killing Four

A train struck a school minibus at a level crossing near Buggenhout, Belgium, on Tuesday morning, killing four people including two children. Five additional children were taken to hospital in serious condition, federal prosecutors said. m. local time during the morning rush hour, about 30 kilometers northwest of Brussels.

The minibus carried seven children, a supervisor and a driver when it was hit by a train that was scheduled to stop at the next station roughly one kilometer away. Belgian media reported that crossing barriers were closed but the bus attempted to cross anyway. Images showed the damaged minibus lying on its side beside the tracks, with emergency workers setting up tents around the scene.

"A tragic collision between a train and a school bus took place in Buggenhout this morning. Four people have been killed, including two children," Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on X. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin posted that he felt "great sadness" over the accident and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

" An Associated Press reporter at the scene noted that the train itself remained relatively undamaged while forensic teams in protective suits examined the wreckage.