Belgian passenger trains collide
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A head-on crash between two commuter trains in Belgium this morning has left at least 18 people dead and over 150 injured. And there are fears the death toll could rise further still.
The two packed trains hit each other during the morning rush hour in Halle, just south of Brussels. Eyewitnesses say that the trains, carrying a total of 250-300 people, collided with such force that carriages flew up into the air.
The latest official report has confirmed that 18 bodies have been recovered, but the Belgian media say the death toll may yet be as high as 25.
Survivors said they heard a massive bang as the trains made contact, and described seeing people, baggage and seats hurtling around the carriages. Some of the passengers were so severely injuried that doctors had to carry out amputations at the scene.
Provincial Governor Lodewijk De Witte told a news conference that one of the trains had continued past a red light and ploughed into an express train bound for Liege running some 10 minutes late.
The crash is the worst train accident that Belgium has seen, although in 2001 eight people were killed and 12 injured in another head-on collision between commuter trains outside Brussels. In that incident, the accident was blamed on a communication problem between Flemish-speaking and his French-speaking railway workers.
