Four people, including two teenagers, have been killed after a train collided with a school bus in the Belgian town of Buggenhout, Transport Minister Jean-Luc Crucke says.
Two other people were also severely injured, Mr Crucke told RTL TV.
Nine people were on the minibus at the time of the accident, including a driver, an attendant and seven children, local police said.
According to Belgian public broadcaster VRT the accident happened at a level crossing in Vierhuizen around 8am local time.
Initial reports suggested the level crossing was closed at the time of the accident.
“Footage shows that the barriers were down and the traffic lights were red,” said Thomas Baeken, a spokesperson for the Belgian rail track operator Infrabel.
“We do not know how the accident could have happened. That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate.”
Belgian police said the impact of the collision was “extremely violent”.
“It happened at around 8:08am when a minibus was struck by a train that was due to stop at the next station, which was about a kilometre away,” said spokesman Frederic Sacre.
No passengers on the train were injured, Belgian newspaper L’Avenir reported.
Around 100 passengers were on the train, all of whom have been evacuated, VRT reported.
The country’s interior minister, Bernard Quintin, called the collision “a tragic accident” in a post on X.
“With great dismay I learnt of the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus was struck by a train. My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones. I wish the injured much strength,” Mr Quintin wrote.
ABC/wires