Several people were reportedly killed and dozens injured when a passenger train crashed into a cargo train in the Belgian town of Hermalle-sous-Huy near the city of Liege, Reuters reports, citing local media. Authorities added at a 3 a.m. press conference that some of the injured were critically injured.
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Dejon said three people were killed in the wreck and about 40 hurt, but said those numbers could change. “We were very lucky not to have more victims”, he told the Belgian news agency Belga.
The collision detailed two of the train’s six carriages.
A person who had been on board described the scene as “chaos” to the local daily newspaper L’Avenir, saying that the front two carriages had been destroyed.
“All our services are mobilized, and are completely cooperating with rescue services”, Infrabel and SNCB, the company that operates Belgian trains, said in a statement.
A spokesman for the infrastructure operator Infrabel said lighting hit the line on Sunday.
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Officials said that the mishap occurred as the passenger train was travailing at a speed of 55mph and was unable to brake.
