Train Collides with School Minibus in Belgium, Four Dead

Four people, including two children aged 12 and 15, were killed when a school minibus collided with a train in Buggenhout, northern Belgium on Wednesday morning. The minibus, carrying seven children, a 49-year-old driver, and a 27-year-old chaperone en route to a special education school, was struck at approximately 8 a.m. local time. According to federal police, the driver turned left onto a level crossing while safety barriers were already lowered, directly into the path of an oncoming train traveling at roughly 90 kilometers per hour. The impact was severe, propelling the minibus against a pole and into a nearby house driveway. Five other children on the bus remain hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Belgian mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke confirmed the barriers were down at the time of the collision. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.