A high speed train crash in Belgium has claimed the lives of at least 18 people. A further 162 have been injured 11 of who are in a serious condition. The accident is one of the worst train crashes in Belgian history and it occurred during rush hour as many commuters were making their way into Brussels. The two trains hit each other head on and the front of both trains were pushed up into the air. Many of the carriages are now lying on their sides.
Survivors have said that there was no warning that anything was about to go wrong. Experts who are investigating the cause of the crash say that it looks like one of the trains ignored a red light and hit the oncoming train at full tilt.
Although the train line near Halle is fitted with safety mechanisms that should not allow trains to run red lights, Marc Descheemaecker from SNCB, a Belgian rail company says that it is possible that one of the trains involved in the crash was not in fact fitted with the safety system.
The search for bodies was called off last night and Anja De Wolf from the crisis centre said that it was unlikely that there was anyone left inside any of the carriages. It is thought that one of the train drivers is amongst the dead. An investigation of the wreckage is set to continue over the next couple of days and this will mean severe disruption for many who usually travel by rail.