“What should have been a normal school morning suddenly turned into a black day.”
At least four people, including two children, were killed after a train slammed into a school minibus in Belgium on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The crash happened in the town of Buggenhout in northern Belgium as the vehicle was carrying children to a special education school.
Officials said the victims included two students aged 12 and 15, the bus driver and a school chaperone. Five other children were injured and taken to hospital.
Photos from the scene showed the white minibus overturned beside the railway tracks with its front badly crushed from the impact.
Police said the collision happened at a railway crossing where the safety barriers were already down and warning lights were active at the time.
“We do not know how the accident could have happened,” a spokesperson for railway operator Infrabel said.
Authorities said the train driver tried to stop using emergency brakes after spotting the vehicle, but the impact could not be avoided.
One witness near the area described hearing a loud crash before emergency teams rushed to the scene.
“You could hear the sound from far away. Then suddenly there were sirens everywhere,” a resident told local media.
Around 100 passengers were onboard the train during the collision. Officials said none suffered major injuries.
Belgian authorities have now opened a formal investigation to understand how the minibus ended up on the tracks despite the crossing signals being active.
Transport Minister Jean Luc Crucke called the incident heartbreaking and said his thoughts were with the families affected.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reacted after news of the tragedy spread across Europe.
“Today, Europe grieves with Belgium,” she said.
The children onboard were reportedly attending a special needs school in the region. Local officials said grief support teams have been made available for families, classmates and emergency workers responding to the crash.
Residents in Buggenhout described the atmosphere in the town as heavy and emotional as news continued spreading through the community.
“Everybody knows this crossing. It is hard to believe something this terrible happened here,” one local resident said.
Belgium has experienced several railway crossing accidents over the years, although officials say safety improvements have reduced the number of deadly incidents in recent times. Since 2021, dozens of people have died in railway crossing accidents across the country.
For many people in Belgium, Tuesday morning quickly changed from an ordinary school run into a national tragedy that has left families mourning and a community searching for answers.
