Up to 25 people were reported to have died on Monday morning and an unknown number were injured after two passenger trains collided head-on in the Belgian town of Halle, south of Brussels. The Brussels prosecutor's office said that between eight and 20 people had died in the crash, which occurred at the height of the morning rush hour on one of the main lines into Brussels and forced the closure of international train departures from the city.
Meanwhile, Flemish broadcaster VRT and the Belga news service quoted the governor of the region of Flemish Brabant, Lodewijk De Witte, as saying that at least 10 people had died and that 11 had been seriously injured, including one child. VRT reported that up to 25 people were thought to have died.
The police would not comment on any reported figures. The two trains smashed head-on into each other just after 8.30 am local time (0730GMT), forcing the front carriages of both trains into the air and partially crushing the following wagons. VRT reported that the accident came after one of the trains ran through a red light.
The accident caused widespread closures on railway lines leading into Brussels Midi station, the city's main terminus. International Eurostar and Thalys departures to London were halted, with Thalys services from Paris to Cologne forced to detour around Brussels. One of the trains was travelling from the Flemish town of Leuven, east of Brussels, to Braine-le-Comte, south of the city. The other was travelling from the town of Quievrain, on the French border, to the industrial city of Liege. The accident happened during the morning rush hour and after an overnight snowfall. Snow continued to fall throughout the morning.