Four Dead, Including Two Children, in Belgian School Bus-Train Collision

A horrific collision between a train and a school bus has left four dead and several injured in Buggenhout, Belgium. The accident occurred at 8:08 a.m. when the bus, carrying nine passengers to the Richtpunt Campus, an institute for students with behavioral, emotional, and autism spectrum disorders, was struck by a train. The bus was reduced to a mangled frame, with two children, aged 12 and 15, the 49-year-old driver, and a 27-year-old escort among the fatalities. The other young passengers, all similar in age to the victims, sustained injuries, with two in critical condition and transported to various hospitals across Belgium.

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We are in shock.

Mayor Geert Hermans described the toll as "terrible," his voice cracking with emotion as he addressed reporters. "We are in shock," he stated, explaining the decision to wait until all families were informed before making a public statement. Under red tents erected by emergency responders amid unseasonably warm May weather, Belgium experienced one of its most painful days in recent years. Residents of the small Flemish municipality, situated between Brussels and Bruges, watched in silence as emergency services, including ambulances, fire trucks, police, and helicopters, worked at the scene along the railway line.

At the Richtpunt Campus, a few kilometers away, teachers, parents, and psychologists gathered for mutual support. Regional deputy Kurt Moens called it "a black day for our school" and a "very hard blow" to the entire community. Condolences poured in from across the country, including messages from Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, the King and Queen, and European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, who expressed solidarity "in mourning with Belgium" for the "immense suffering."

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It is a black day for our school.

Early media footage from area cameras, released shortly after the tragedy, shows the minivan, operated by a subcontractor for the public transport company De Lijn, hitting the level crossing barrier just before the train impacted it. Witness Filemon Van Ransbeeck, who was stopped at the lowered gates, described the scene: "The van flew into the air, it was catapulted. It all happened in a second, you can't imagine how fast." He reported that his wife rushed to the scene, from where "screams and cries" could be heard. David Verhulst, who lives nearby, heard the loud impact while heading to his car and then "saw the school bus crash."

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The van flew into the air, it was catapulted. It all happened in a second, you can't imagine how fast.