Belgian train crash 'kills 20'

James Sturcke The Guardian 02/15/2010 03:48

At least 20 people were killed when two rush-hour passenger trains collided head on in Belgium today, local television reports said.

Railway authorities said there was a significant amount of damage, but were unable to confirm the number of casualties reported by the Belgian broadcaster VRT.

The commuter trains collided at Buizingen, near Halle, around nine miles south-west of Brussels, at around 8.30am local time.

VRT showed footage of firefighters carrying casualties from the wreckage of the two trains, which had concertinaed on impact. A man carrying a small child in his arms was also visible.

Pictures of the crash site posted on Twitter showed the front of the trains ended up suspended around 3 metres above the ground.

One passenger interviewed described "a violent shock" when the trains impacted.

TV pictures showed emergency workers trying to rescue people from the mangled carriages as snow fell.

"The most recent information we have is that 20 people died," the Halle mayor, Dirk Pieters, said on Belgian radio. "I base this on what the police and firefighters tell me."

The rail track operator Infrabel said the two trains had crashed head on. One train was travelling from Leuven to Braine-le-Comte. The second train was on its way from Quiévrain to Liège

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