Belgium train crash: School bus driver 'broke through barrier' killing four: Here's what we know

Belgium train crash leaves four people dead including two children after a train collides into a minibus in Buggenhout, northern Belgium.

The school bus carrying seven children and two adults, was hit by train, leaving two children dead who were aged 12 and 15 on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

The town, Buggenhout, Flanders, where the tragic incident happened is just 15 miles away from Brussels.

An official for De Lijn, the public transport company that owns the bus, said the children on board were students at a special educational needs school.

On the other hand, Belgian minister for mobility Jean-Luc Crucke told the local media outlet RTL that two children aged 12 and 15, the driver of the bus and a chaperone had died in the incident.

While five other students were on board the bus, two sustained serious injuries.

Belgium's interior minister Bernard Quintin shared a statement on social media, saying, “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.”

As per the latest updates, a local Belgian newspaper Le Soir has reported that the level crossing was closed at the time of the accident and the driver went through a red light.

The publication citing Infrabel official Thomas Baeken who is responsible for managing Belgian railway infrastructure, said, “The barriers were lowered and the lights were red.”

“The level crossing was about a kilometer from the station, so the train had already started to slow down, but the impact was still very significant.

“The train driver tried to apply the emergency brakes, but it was too late,” Baeken told the outlet.