DIRK WAEM / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP)
Scene of the accident between a train and a minivan at the Vierhuizen level crossing in Buggenhout, Belgium.
Minibus with primary school children was on its way to a special education school. No one on the convoy was injured. Level crossing gates were down at the time of the accident.
Four people died this Tuesday in a collision between a train and a school minibus in the city of Buggenhoutalready Belgiumaccording to local media reports, according to .
Seven children, a companion and the driver of the minibus were crossing a level crossing in the city when the accident occurred, Flemish public broadcaster VRT reported, cited by the BBC.
Images from the scene show the minibus overturned in Buggenhout, a small town near Aalst, northwest of the Belgian capital, Brussels.
Federal Police spokeswoman An Berger said the collision occurred shortly after 8 a.m. local time (7 a.m. in Lisbon), noting that the level crossing gates were down at the time of the accident.
“The minibus was on its way to a special education school. These are mainly primary school students,” Berger added.
Berger told VRT he could not provide further details about the victims as the families of the minibus occupants were being informed first, but stated that no one on the train was injuredalthough one person was being assisted for being in a state of shock.
“What devastating news,” Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir posted on social media. “My thoughts are with all the victims, their families and everyone involved”, said Demir.
In a post on social media, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed “great sadness” over the “tragic accident in Buggenhout”.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” Quintin added.
