Inquiry launched after Belgian rail accident injures 18 people

An independent investigation was opened on Friday after a Belgian commuter train derailed near Brussels, injuring 18 passengers, local media reported.

The incident occurred during the evening rush on Sept. 10 at Buizingen rail station, in the south-west Brussels suburb of Hal.

Buizingen was the scene of Belgium's worst rail disaster in 50 years, on Feb. 15, 2010, when 18 people died and 162 were injured in a collision between two trains.

Thursday's derailment occurred shortly before 17:00 when a seven-carriage train travelling from Schaerbeek to Geraardsbergen entered Buizingen station, approximately 20km outside the Belgian capital, with 200 passengers on board.

According to Le Soir, the front wheels of the first carriage strayed about 40cm from the rails. The train continued to move for several hundred metres, giving off a thick black smoke that caused passengers to panic, before coming to a halt.

The paper added that 10 of the 18 injured passengers were taken to hospital for checks, none of whom are said to be in a serious condition.

Thierry Ney, a spokesman for the Belgian national rail operator SNCB, told Le Soir that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the accident.

He said the company was working with the public prosecutor's office and rail infrastructure firm Infrabel on the investigation.

The Sudpresse local newspaper group quoted a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office in Hal as saying: "Excessive speed could be the cause of the accident, but further inquires are needed. The investigation is continuing in order to rule out any technical cause."

Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported on Friday that a separate independent committee has also decided to open an investigation - which it said would determine "the causes of the event, and not who was responsible". Endit