Several people died after a passenger train struck a school minibus at a railway crossing in the Belgian town of Buggenhout on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
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The collision took place shortly after 08:00 local time at a level crossing about one kilometre from Buggenhout station, according to Belgian police and railway officials. Emergency crews, ambulances and fire services rushed to the scene as authorities closed the crossing and halted rail traffic in the area.<\/p>\n
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Federal Mobility and Infrastructure Minister Jean-Luc Crucke said two adults and two children on the bus were killed in the accident.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Belgian broadcaster VRT<\/a> reported that seven children, a chaperone and the driver were travelling in the minibus when the crash happened.\u00a0Belgian newspaper\u00a0Nieuwsblad<\/a>\u00a0reported that the vehicle was taking pupils to a school for children with special needs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Belgian railway infrastructure operator Infrabel said warning lights were active and the crossing barriers were down at the time of impact. Investigators are examining why the vehicle entered the tracks despite the safety systems being in operation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n According to local media, there were no injuries among passengers aboard the train.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Nieuwsblad reported that about 100 people were travelling on the passenger train when the crash happened. Firefighters evacuated passengers from the train after the collision.<\/p>\n
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