Mayor says 20 dead in head-on crash of 2 Belgian commuter trains outside Brussels

Mayor says 20 dead in Belgian commuter train crash

BRUSSELS — Two commuter trains collided head-on at rush hour in a Brussels suburb Monday, killing 20 people, Belgian officials said.

The trains collided in light snow just outside of the station at Buizingen around 8:30 a.m. (0730GMT).

“The most recent information we have is that 20 people died,” town Mayor Dirk Pieters told the VRT radio network. “I base this on what the police and firefighters tell me.”

Television reports showed that the force of the collision pushed the first car of each train up off the tracks. The cars ended up resting against each other. Photos from the scene showed another car that appeared to have tipped onto its side. Rescuers rushed victims on stretchers along the tracks.

There was no immediate word on the number of injured.

VRT reported some victims were hospitalized and others were treated at a nearby sports complex.

The crash caused massive damage to overhead power lines. Eurostar reported on its Web site that its high-speed trains had suspended service in and out of Brussels and could remain shut down all day.

Thalys high-speed trains spokeswoman Patricia Baars said all traffic between Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam had been temporarily halted because it runs on the lines used by the commuter trains that collided.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash.