Images from the scene showed the minibus lying on its side after being struck by a train.

13:20, Tue, May 26, 2026 Updated: 13:21, Tue, May 26, 2026

BELGIUM-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

Images from the scene showed the minibus lying on its side after being struck by a train. (Image: Getty)

Two schoolchildren and two adults have been killed after a train collided with a school minibus in Belgium on Tuesday morning. The bus had been carrying seven children, a driver and a chaperone when the crash occurred shortly after 8am local time. Images from the scene showed the minibus lying on its side in Buggenhout, a small town near Aalst, just over 14 miles from the capital, Brussels.

According to Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke, the barriers at a level crossing were down when the crash occurred. "My first thoughts are with the victims," he added. None of the around 100 passengers on the train were hurt, but one person is being treated for shock, Federal police spokesperson An Berger said. Trains services along the line were cancelled. "The bus was on its way to a special education school. It concerns mainly secondary school children," she added.

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BELGIUM-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

The barriers were down and the traffic lights were red when the train hit the minibus, according to local reports (Image: Getty)

"What heartbreaking news," Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir posted on social media. "My thoughts are with all the victims, their families and everyone closely involved."

CCTV footage showed the level crossing where the crash took place was shut, with local news reporting that the "barriers were down, traffic lights were red" when the train hit the minibus. Thomas Baeken, from Infrabel, the national railway infrastructure company, told VRT NWS that the "train was already braking" when the collision occurred, and that the driver had applied the emergency brake.

Mr Baeken added the rail company was cooperating with the police and the public prosecutor's office to try to "understand how this tragic accident came about."

I was heartbroken to learn of the tragic accident between a train and a school bus in Buggenhout today.

My deepest condolences go out to the victims’ families and their loved ones.

Today, Europe grieves with Belgium.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 26, 2026

On X, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote: "I was heartbroken to learn of the tragic accident between a train and a school bus in Buggenhout today. My deepest condolences go out to the victims’ families and their loved ones.

"Today, Europe grieves with Belgium."

Belgium, which has a dense railway network intersecting many towns ⁠and villages, has a history of accidents at level crossings. Five people died in such accidents ⁠in 2025, railway infrastructure operator Infrabel says on its website, the lowest number recorded since 2020.