Train Crash in Belgium Kills at Least Eighteen

At least 18 people were killed Monday in one of the worst train collisions in Belgium’s history.
Train Crash in Belgium Kills at Least Eighteen
The aftermath of a crash between two passenger trains, which collided head on, on Feb. 15, in Halle, Belgium. Between 15 and 25 people died when the two passenger trains crashed into one another during rush hour. Mark Renders/Getty Images
Peter Valk
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<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/crash96716297.jpg" alt="The aftermath of a crash between two passenger trains, which collided head on, on Feb. 15, in Halle, Belgium. Between 15 and 25 people died when the two passenger trains crashed into one another during rush hour. (Mark Renders/Getty Images)" title="The aftermath of a crash between two passenger trains, which collided head on, on Feb. 15, in Halle, Belgium. Between 15 and 25 people died when the two passenger trains crashed into one another during rush hour. (Mark Renders/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1823026"/></a>
The aftermath of a crash between two passenger trains, which collided head on, on Feb. 15, in Halle, Belgium. Between 15 and 25 people died when the two passenger trains crashed into one another during rush hour. (Mark Renders/Getty Images)
At least 18 people were killed Monday in one of the worst train collisions in Belgium’s history. At 8:28 a.m. a passenger train crashed head-on into another passenger train that had just left Buizingen station, near Belgium’s capital Brussels.

The collision was reportedly caused by a train ignoring a red signal. It is unclear whether this was a human or technical error, but a spokesperson of the Belgium railway company (NMBS) said they wanted to investigate before jumping to conclusions.

The crash caused a bang so loud, bystanders thought a bomb had exploded. Three wagons of the trains, that carried about 300 passengers in total, were de-railed. Most casualties were found in the front wagons.

Monday night officials said 62 passengers were injured, 11 of them seriously. The search for more victims has continued through the night but the falling darkness has made it increasingly difficult to find and identify victims.

A witness described seeing someone without legs and people with blood-covered body parts everywhere. “It was a nightmare,” another passenger told Belgium television. Heavily injured passengers were rushed to the nearest hospitals while the less serious injured were brought to a relief center.

Press was kept at a distance from the calamity to ensure the privacy of victims.

Most international train traffic to and from Belgium will be suspended on Tuesday.

The Belgium king and Prime Minister Yves Leterme returned from abroad to give support to the victims of the calamity.
Peter Valk
Peter Valk
Author
Peter Valk is a tea expert who has extensively travelled in Asia, interrupted by odd jobs and a short spell of studying anthropology in the Netherlands. In his travels, he steeped himself in Asian culture, learned Chinese, met his wife and found his passion. He has been in tea business over seven years, selling Chinese tea and giving workshops on Chinese tea and culture. Currently, he is living in the Netherlands where he is busily but mostly happily making up for his travel time.
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