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A speeding passenger train hit a minibus packed with children in Belgium on Tuesday, crushing the vehicle, killing four people, including two children, and seriously injuring five others.
The violent collision occurred during the morning rush hour near the town of Bugenhout, about 20 miles northwest of Brussels, in what authorities described as one of the country’s worst rail accidents in recent history.
Authorities said the minibus was passing through a closed railway crossing barrier shortly before it collided with the train, which was traveling at about 75 mph. Security camera footage shows the bus crossing the tracks before the collision.
There were a total of nine people in the bus. According to the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office, the bus driver, an escort and two children aged 12 and 15 were killed. The five surviving children were hospitalized with serious injuries.
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Rescue workers react after an accident between a train and a vehicle in Bugenhout, Belgium on May 26, 2026. (Koen Betten/AP)
“What we know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” spokeswoman Lisa de Wilde told reporters. He said investigators were still working to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Emergency workers work at a level crossing to move a van onto a flatbed truck after it collided with a train in Bugenhout, Belgium, on May 26, 2026. (Marius Burgelmann/AP)
Ann Berger, a federal police spokeswoman, said it appeared the driver had crossed the crossing barrier. Belgian rail operator Infrabel said the crossing system was functioning properly at the time of the accident.
“The collision was extremely violent,” Infrabel spokesman Frédéric Sacre told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. He said the train operator “did not have time to apply the brakes” before the collision.
A woman on a bike stands near police tape and debris at a level crossing in Bugenhout, Belgium, a day after the collision between a train and a school van on May 27, 2026. (Virginia Mayo/AP)
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An Associated Press journalist at the scene reported that the minibus was overturned and its front was completely crushed, while the train suffered relatively minor damage.
Floral condolences are left at a level crossing in Bugenhout, Belgium, on May 27, 2026, a day after a collision between a train and a school van. (Virginia Mayo/AP)
Officials said there were about 100 passengers on board the train, although there were no reports of any injuries. Rail traffic in the area was suspended as emergency crews responded.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever expressed condolences to the families of the victims in a social media post, saying he was “deeply moved by the terrible accident in Bugenhout.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
