No Maltese reported among Brussels train collision victims

No Maltese were involved in the head-on collision between two passenger trains in Belgium during the morning rush hour, yesterday.

The trains collided in snowy conditions in the village of Buizingen, near Halle, southwest of Brussels. International reports are saying that one of the trains reportedly missed a stop signal.

More than 150 people were injured and emergency services warned the death toll could be as high as 25. The accident, that happened at 8.30 a.m., led to the cancellation of services to southwest Belgium, Paris and London.

Once the news reached the island, the Maltese embassy in Belgium was kept busy dealing with calls from concerned relatives. Following routine checks, Malta's Ambassador to Belgium, Pierre Clive Agius said that "it seems no Maltese were on the trains involved in the accident".

Over 400 Maltese nationals live in Belgium and those who reside outside Brussels commute every day into the city to go to work.

"We have remained constantly in touch with the Belgian authorities during the day to ensure no Maltese were involved," Mr Agius said.

"The lists of the injured or dead were inspected thoroughly and, fortunately, no Maltese surnames appeared. I have also personally got in touch with many Maltese in Belgium to ascertain no one required our assistance," Mr Agius said late yesterday evening.

The impact of the collision was huge. One train crashed deep into the front of the other, tearing back the metal sides. The trains tipped high into the air and broke overhead power lines.

Eurostar and other high-speed trains were suspended as emergency services continued to extract people from the wreckage.

Marc Descheemaecker, the chief executive of SNCB, Belgium's national state-owned railway, said more than half the 300 people travelling on the two trains had been injured. A third train narrowly missed being involved in the wreck after it applied the emergency brake.

"It is a very sad and dark day for SNCB. We have lost several colleagues and people on these trains," he said.

Mr Descheemaecker said that "both drivers were probably lost" in the crash.

He refused to speculate on the causes of the collision and claims that one the trains had jumped a red light.