Four people were killed when a minibus collided with a train in Belgium Belgium Transport News

The minibus, carrying nine people, drove through a barricaded area during the morning rush hour near the town of Buggenhout.

At least four people have died, including two children, when a high-speed train collided with a minibus carrying special needs children crossing a railway line in Belgium.

According to Belgian authorities on Tuesday, the minibus, which was carrying nine people, went through traffic jams in the morning near the town of Buggenhout, about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Brussels.

In addition, a spokesman for the Belgian railway operator Infra-Bel told RTBF radio that the train was traveling at about 120 kph (75 mph) approaching the crossing and had “no time to break”.

“The incident was very violent,” said Frederic Sacre.

A spokeswoman for the East Flanders prosecutor’s office, Lisa De Wilde, said the bus driver, 49, and the escort, 27, were killed along with two children aged 12 and 15.

5 children have been injured and have been admitted to the hospital with serious problems, and he said the cause of the accident is still unknown.

“All we know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” he said.

Federal police spokesman An Berger also said the minibus driver appeared to have gone over a barrier.

Berger said: “The train came from the Kerkhofstraat, the road that crosses the railway, and turned left towards Vierhuizen, crossing the railway at the point where it was closed at the time.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on X that he was “deeply affected by the terrible accident in Buggenhout”.

“My thoughts go out to the affected families,” De Wever said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said she was “heartbroken” by the “horrific accident”.

“My deepest condolences go out to the affected families and their loved ones,” von der Leyen wrote on X.

It is said that about 100 people were on board and no one was injured. Rail traffic in the area was also suspended.