Belgium train Accident

At least 8 killed in Belgian Train Crash

on the dated Tuesday March 27, 2001

A crowded commuter train has collided head on with an empty train in central Belgium, leaving at least eight people dead.
Reports indicate that 8 people have been seriously hurt

The empty train is reported to have been wrongly switched into the path of the passenger train which was heading south from Leuven to Louvain-la-Neuve.

The accident occurred in the village of Pecrot 16 miles east of Brussels during the morning rush hour.

The death toll is expected to rise as emergency services cut into the wreckage to search for more bodies or trapped survivors. Unconfirmed local media reports put the death toll as high as 12.

The driver of the empty train was killed in the crash. Local media reports cited witnesses who said the signals on a level crossing appeared to have malfunctioned ahead of the collision.