Belgian train crash kills 20
Written by on February 15th, 2010 in Latest News.
Rescue workers attend the scene of the head-on crash in Buizingen, 15 kilometres southwest of Brussels. (Yves Logghe/Associated Press)
Two commuter trains crashed head-on outside Brussels on Monday, killing at least 20 people, a local official said.
The trains collided during the morning rush hour near Halle, 15 kilometres southwest of Brussels, just outside Buizingen station.
The force of the collision smashed one train deep into the front of the other, peeling back the metal sides. Some carriages tipped high into the air and broke overhead power lines.
“The most recent information we have is that 20 people died,” Halle Mayor Dirk Pieters told Belgian broadcaster VRT. “I base this on what the police and firefighters tell me.”
Lodewijk De Witte, governor of the province of Flemish Brabant, told VRT that 10 people were killed.
There was no immediate word on the number of people injured. The most seriously hurt were taken to hospitals, while those with minor injuries were taken to a sports complex for treatment.
“It was a nightmare,” said Christian Wampach, 47, a passenger who was in the third car of one of the trains. He spoke to The Associated Press after his head was bandaged at the centre.
“We were thrown about for about 15 seconds,” he said. “There were a number of people injured in my car, but I reckon all the dead were in the first car.”
It’s not known what caused the collision, which came after a weekend of snow and freezing temperatures across Belgium. The trains collided in light snow around 8:30 a.m. local time.
After the crash, Eurostar said it had suspended its high-speed train service in and out of Brussels.
With files from The Associated Press
