A young girl died on Thursday night after she was hit by a train in the Brussels commune of Forest. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear.
The accident occurred around midnight on Thursday near the Forest-Midi railway station, near the Audi factory. The young girl was hit by an IC train that was en route to Charleroi from Antwerp, national railway operator SNCB and railway police confirmed to Bruzz.
She did not survive the impact. Due to the ongoing investigation and the fact that the victim was a minor, the railway police could not disclose more information about the circumstances of the accident or how the collision happened.
Train traffic between Brussels-Midi and Nivelles was interrupted for some time. However, the accident occurred outside peak hours, so disruption to passengers was limited.
Some 40 passengers who were on the train that hit the girl were evacuated and were able to continue their journey with a replacement bus. The tracks were clear again at 06:30 on Friday, and the morning rush hour was not affected.
Three accidents in one day
This was not an isolated incident, as other collisions between trains and people occurred on Thursday. One person died after being hit by a train in the evening at a level crossing in Beveren, East Flanders.
Train traffic between Sint-Niklaas and Antwerp was interrupted between 16:30 and 20:30, and some 35 passengers were evacuated from the train.
On Thursday morning, a father and toddler were slightly injured after their car was hit by a train on a closed railroad crossing in Wortegem-Petegem, also in East Flanders. The driver of the car, in his 20s, was blinded by the sun. The accident caused severe train disruption between Oudenaarde and Kortrijk.
