Five children were taken to the hospital in a serious condition after the crash<\/a> at a level crossing during morning rush hour in the town of Buggenhout, spokeswoman Lisa De Wilde said at a news conference. <\/p>\n De Wilde said that the dead included the driver of the minibus and an escort as well as two children. She said that the cause of the accident had not been established. Investigators are questioning witnesses and checking for images from cameras mounted nearby.<\/p>\n “What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” she said.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Belgian rail operator Infrabel said that the train<\/a> was estimated to be traveling at about 120km per hour as it approached the crossing and had “no time to brake.”<\/p>\n “The impact was extremely violent,” the spokesman, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Sacr\u00e9, told RTBF public broadcaster.<\/p>\n An Associated Press reporter at the scene said that the badly damaged bus<\/a> lay toppled on its side. Forensic experts in protective white suits and wearing gloves were taking photos of the scene, while a white pop-up tent was erected nearby. The train<\/a> was relatively unscathed.<\/p>\n In a social media post, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed “great sadness” over “the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus<\/a> was struck by a train. My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones.”<\/p>\n A spokesperson for De Lijn, the organisation responsible for public bus and tram networks in the Flemish region, told Sky News that the driver was \u201can experienced member of staff, in good health and passed a medical check-up and the legally required yearly training\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts are with the victims of this tragic accident and we passed our condolences to the subcontractor,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n Earlier, the firm had told Belgian outlet HLN: \u201cThe man had been doing this work for a very long time and undoubtedly knew his route.”<\/p>\n Buggenhout mayor Geert Hermans told HLN: “I am in shock by what has happened here today. This is an extremely serious accident with a particularly heavy toll.<\/p>\n “This affects us all enormously, our entire community has been hit incredibly hard. The victims and their families are now our absolute priority.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2277686062...jpeg\")
A hearse is parked next to the crashed bus at the site of an accident after a train crashed into a school bus, at the railway crossing Vierhuizen in Buggenhout (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-05-26T132154Z_2025168031_RC21HLA2TSO5_RTRMADP_3_BELGIUM-ACCIDENT-TRAIN.JPG\")
A drone view of the railway track where the crash took place (Reuters)<\/p>\n![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/download...jpeg\")
Police tape cordons off a level crossing where a train collided with a van (AP)<\/p>\n