Four people have died after a train collided with a school bus in Belgium.
The accident happened shortly after 8am on Tuesday in Buggenhout, East Flanders.
The school bus was believed to have been on a level crossing when it was hit by the train.
Belgium's justice minister Annelies Verlinden has shared a message on social media, calling the incident a “tragedy”.
She said: “My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the victims, the children, their families and everyone affected by this tragedy today. I wish everyone much warm closeness.
“Thank you to the emergency services and the police for their swift intervention and their sustained efforts on site. The prosecutor's office is of course also continuing to follow up on this accident.”
Two teenagers, a bus driver and another adult died in the crash.
Local police said nine people were in the minibus at the time of the accident. They included seven children mostly of secondary school age.
Thomas Baeken, from Belgian rail track operator Infrabel, said confirmed the level crossing was closed at the time of the crash.
He said: “The collision took place at 8.08 am. Footage shows that the barriers were down and the traffic lights were red. We do not know how the accident could have happened.
“That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate.
“We are, of course, cooperating with that investigation, because we want to understand how this tragic accident came about.”
Mr Baeken added: “The train was already braking. The train driver did apply the emergency brake, but was unable to avoid a collision.”
