4 dead, 5 hurt in a crash between a train and a school bus, Belgian officials say

A high-speed train hit a minibus crossing a railway in Belgium during morning rush hour near Buggenhout. Officials said the crossing barrier was closed and the red light was on, and a security camera showed the minibus moving when the train struck it. The bus driver and an escort were killed, along with two children aged 12 and 15. Five other children were badly injured and hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the crash had not been established, though the minibus driver appeared to have driven through the barrier. The train was traveling at about 120 kph and had no time to brake, and the impact was extremely violent. Rail traffic was halted and passengers were believed unharmed.

"Officials said the minibus drove through the closed crossing barrier. A security camera showed the bus, carrying nine people, was moving when the train hit it. The collision happened during morning rush hour near Buggenhout town, about 20 miles northwest of the capital, Brussels. The bus driver and an escort were killed along with two children aged 12 and 15, said Lisa De Wilde, spokesperson for the East Flanders public prosecutor's office. She said the injured children were hospitalized in serious condition."

"De Wilde told journalists the cause of the crash hadn't been established. "What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on," she said. Federal Police spokesperson An Berger said the minibus driver appeared to have plowed through the barrier. Infrabel said the crossing was working correctly. The train had been traveling at an estimated 120 kph (75 mph) as it approached the crossing and had "no time to brake," said Frédéric Sacré, a spokesperson for Belgian rail operator Infrabel."

""The impact was extremely violent," Sacré told the RTBF public broadcaster. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the bus was toppled on its side with its front section crushed. The train was relatively unscathed. It was believed that about 100 passengers were aboard the train and that none were hurt. Rail traffic in the area was halted. Local officials stood for a minute's silence after a news conference."

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