File image: Buggenhout railway station — Wikimedia Commons.- Four people were killed when a train hit a school transport minibus near Buggenhout, Belgian officials said.
- The dead include two children, the 49-year-old driver and a 27-year-old attendant, according to Belgian public broadcaster VRT.
- Five other children were seriously injured; VRT reported they were initially critical but later stable.
Four people, including two children, were killed on Tuesday morning when a train collided with a school transport minibus at a level crossing near Buggenhout in northern Belgium, according to Belgian officials and local reporting.
The crash happened during the morning rush hour in East Flanders, around 30 kilometers northwest of Brussels. Associated Press reported that Belgian prosecutors said four people died and five children were hurt after the train hit the bus. The injured children were taken to hospital in serious condition.
What happened
Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported that the collision happened at about 8:08 a.m. at the Vierhuizen level crossing in Buggenhout. The vehicle was described as a minibus used for school transport.
Police said nine people were inside the minibus: a driver, an attendant and seven children. VRT identified the school involved as Richtpunt Campus Buggenhout, a school for children with special educational needs.
VRT reported that the four people killed were two children aged 12 and 15, the 49-year-old driver and a 27-year-old attendant. Five other children were seriously injured and taken to hospital. The broadcaster said they had been in critical condition but were later stable.
What investigators are checking
The cause has not been established. That is the most important caveat in this story. Officials have confirmed the collision and the deaths, but investigators still need to determine how the minibus came to be on the crossing as the train approached.
Thomas Baeken of Belgian rail infrastructure operator Infrabel told VRT that CCTV footage showed the level crossing was closed at the time, with barriers down and traffic lights on red. He said the train driver applied the emergency brake but could not avoid the collision.
That does not by itself answer the central question. Prosecutors and police still have to establish the sequence of events, including the vehicle’s movement, the crossing system, and any human or technical factors before the crash.
File image: a Belgian level crossing — Wikimedia Commons.Impact on the rail line
The train was carrying about 100 passengers, according to VRT. They were evacuated and looked after at a local fire station. One person was reported to be in shock and receiving medical attention.
Rail traffic between Dendermonde and Londerzeel was severely disrupted after the collision, with replacement buses deployed while emergency services and investigators worked at the scene.
Why it matters
Level crossings are among the most vulnerable points in a rail network because road traffic and high-speed trains intersect in the same space. Belgium, like other European countries, has spent years reducing risk through barriers, lights, cameras and crossing closures, but serious accidents still happen when something goes wrong in the short window before a train arrives.
This case is especially sensitive because the victims were being transported to school. The confirmed facts support a cautious headline: a school transport minibus was hit by a train; four people are dead; five children were injured; and the crossing-status evidence is now part of an active investigation.