{"id":18093,"date":"2026-05-29T10:43:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T10:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/18093\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T10:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T10:43:31","slug":"speeding-train-hits-minibus-full-of-children-in-belgium-killing-4-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/18093\/","title":{"rendered":"Speeding train hits minibus full of children in Belgium, killing 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

A speeding passenger train tore into a minibus packed with children in Belgium<\/a> on Tuesday, crushing the vehicle and killing four people \u2014 including two children \u2014 and leaving five other children critically injured.<\/p>\n

The violent collision happened during the morning rush near the town of Buggenhout, about 20 miles northwest of Brussels, in what officials described as one of the country\u2019s worst rail accidents in<\/a> recent history.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the minibus appeared to drive through a closed railway crossing barrier moments before it was struck by the train, which was traveling at about 75 mph. Security camera footage showed the bus moving across the tracks before impact.<\/p>\n

A total of nine people were aboard the bus. The bus driver, an escort and two children ages 12 and 15 were killed, according to the East Flanders public prosecutor\u2019s office. The five surviving children were hospitalized with serious injuries.<\/p>\n

VIDEO SHOWS THE MOMENT A PASSENGER TRAIN SMASHES INTO AN SUV, DRIVER ESCAPES WITH SECONDS TO SPARE<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Rescue <\/p>\n

Rescue workers respond to a crash between a train and a vehicle in Buggenhout, Belgium, on May 26, 2026. (Koen Baten\/AP)<\/p>\n

“What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” spokesperson Lisa De Wilde told reporters, adding that investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the crash.<\/p>\n

\"Emergency <\/p>\n

Emergency personnel work at a level crossing to move a van onto a flatbed truck after it collided with a train in Buggenhout, Belgium, on May 26, 2026. (Marius Burgelman\/AP)<\/p>\n

The driver appeared to have plowed through the crossing barrier, Federal Police<\/a> spokesperson An Berger said. Belgian rail operator Infrabel said the crossing system was functioning properly at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n

“The impact was extremely violent,” Infrabel spokesperson Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Sacr\u00e9 told Belgian broadcaster RTBF, adding that the train operator had “no time to brake” before the collision.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A woman on a bike stands next to police tape and debris at a level crossing in Buggenhout, Belgium, one day after a train collided with a school van on May 27, 2026. (Virginia Mayo\/AP)<\/p>\n

DRIVER, VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN ILLINOIS AFTER-SCHOOL CAMP CRASH THAT LEFT 4 DEAD, INCLUDING CHILDREN<\/a><\/p>\n

An Associated Press journalist at the scene reported that the minibus was overturned with its front end completely crushed, while the train itself suffered relatively minor damage.<\/p>\n

\"Flower <\/p>\n

Flower condolences are left at a level crossing in Buggenhout, Belgium, one day after a train collided with a school van on May 27, 2026. (Virginia Mayo\/AP)<\/p>\n

Officials said roughly 100 passengers were aboard<\/a> the train, though no injuries were reported among them. Rail traffic in the area was suspended as emergency crews responded.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he was “deeply moved by the horrific accident in Buggenhout,” offering condolences to the victims\u2019 families in a social media post.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A speeding passenger train tore into a minibus packed with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18094,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,69,5765,1165],"class_list":["post-18093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-belgium","tag-europe","tag-transportation","tag-world"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116657455571337958","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}