At least four people, including two children, died after a bus carrying special-needs children was hit by a high-speed train in Belgium. The accident occurred on the morning of May 26 in the town of Buggenhout, about 30 km northwest of Brussels. Belgian authorities said the bus, carrying nine people, drove across a closed railway barrier during the morning rush hour.
A spokesperson for Belgian rail operator Infra-Bel, Frederic Sacre, said the train was traveling at an estimated speed of 120 km/h as it approached the crossing and “had no time to brake.” He described the collision as “extremely violent.”
East Flanders public prosecutor’s office spokesperson Lisa De Wilde confirmed that the 49-year-old bus driver and a 27-year-old escort died, along with two children aged 12 and 15. Five other children were injured and hospitalized in serious condition. She said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
“What we do know is that the barrier was down and the red lights were on,” De Wilde said. Federal police spokesperson An Berger added that the bus driver appeared to have driven through the barrier. “The bus came from Kerkhofstraat, a road running parallel to the tracks, then turned left onto Vierhuizen, crossing the railway at a closed point. The bus was hit by the oncoming train.”
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed on X that he was “deeply shaken by the terrible accident in Buggenhout” and offered condolences to the affected families. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “heartbroken” over the “tragic accident” and sent her deepest sympathies to the victims.
About 100 passengers on the train were reportedly unharmed. Rail traffic in the region has been suspended.
