Train crashes into school minibus in Belgium, several dead, injured

A Belgian railways train slammed into a school minibus at a level crossing in Vierhuizen, Buggenhout, killing at least four people and injuring others, even though reports from the scene said the lights were red and the barriers were down.

Emergency services converged on the crossing in large numbers after the crash on Tuesday morning, May 26, 2026, in East Flanders. Belgian rail track operator Infrabel confirmed the vehicle was a minibus used for school transport, and one report said nine people were on board, including seven students. Initial accounts spoke of several fatalities before later reports said the dead included two teenagers, the bus driver and another adult.

The collision has quickly turned into a test of the crossing’s safeguards and the wider rail-road safety regime in Belgium. Local media reported the train was due to stop at the next station, about one kilometre away, raising questions about speed, braking distance and what happened in the final moments before impact. Investigators were still working to establish how a train entered a crossing that appeared to be active and closed to road traffic.

Belgium’s interior minister, Bernard Quintin, expressed condolences and thanked emergency services for their rapid response. Authorities said an investigation into the cause of the crash was under way, with the focus now on whether the crossing’s lights, barriers and operational controls functioned as intended, and whether any human or technical failure allowed the minibus to remain in danger as the train approached.