Belgian train hits school minivan, killing four including pupils
By Inti Landauro, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart Biesemans
Fatal Train-Minivan Collision in Buggenhout, Belgium
Details of the Accident
BUGGENHOUT, Belgium, May 26 (Reuters) - A train crashed into a school minivan at a level-crossing in the Belgian town of Buggenhout on Tuesday, killing four people including two special needs pupils, authorities said.
As well as the 12- and 15-year-old students, the crash killed the minibus driver aged 49, a female chaperone aged 27, and seriously injured five other schoolboys, said the local prosecutor's office which opened an investigation.
At the scene, a white minivan lay on its side near the track, its front badly crumpled.
Investigation and Immediate Aftermath
Police spokesperson An Berger said the crossing's safety barriers were down when the accident happened. It was unclear how the van got through the barriers and into the path of the train, whose 100-odd passengers did not suffer any major injuries.
An autopsy will be carried out on the body of the minivan driver, the prosecutor's office said, while the train driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
Buggenhout's mayor, Geert Hermans, said books of condolence would be opened. "We ask that the necessary restraint and composure be shown for the bereaved," he said.
Driver and Vehicle Background
Driver Was Fit, Says Transport Operator
Local transport operator De Lijn said the vehicle, operated through a sub-contractor, had no mechanical issues and the driver was medically fit, fully trained and had a clean record.
"You have to be careful (as a bus driver). It can happen to anyone," Dirk Vandevelde, a colleague of the deceased driver told Reuters. "It will probably be an unfortunate accident ... with a tragic outcome."
Eyewitness Accounts
One local resident reported hearing a loud bang and described frantic efforts to save the minivan's occupants.
"Then I saw that van. There were many people performing resuscitation, there was a lot of running back and forth," David Verhulst told VRTNWS.
Verhulst said several streets converge at the crossing. "It is not the most pleasant railway crossing," he said. "Between 8 and 9 a.m., it's very busy with traffic."
History of Accidents at Belgian Level Crossings
Past Accidents
The accident occurred early on Tuesday near Buggenhout station, about 23 km (14 miles) north of Brussels, when the vehicle was carrying seven pupils to their school.
A spokesperson for the state railway infrastructure operator, Infrabel, said that the train driver had applied the emergency brakes but that "the shock was extremely violent."
Condolences and Statistics
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered condolences on X: "Today, Europe grieves with Belgium."
Belgium, where a dense railway network criss-crosses towns and villages, has a history of accidents at level crossings.
Since 2021, 36 people have died in 168 such accidents, according to Infrabel's website.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Bart Biesemans, Inti Landauro and Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Richard Lough, Andrew Cawthorne and Hugh Lawson)
