Several people were killed when a train hit a school minibus carrying seven children in northern Belgium on Tuesday, officials said.

Two sources said that there were several fatalities among those on the bus after the collision at a level crossing in the village of Buggenhout.

Belgian media showed images of a badly damaged minibus lying on its side on a road next to a railway line, with tents set up by emergency workers around.

A police spokeswoman told the media that seven children, a supervisor and a driver were aboard the minibus.

The Belgian police refused to confirm the casualty toll from the incident.

“The impact was extremely violent,” spokesman Frederic Sacre said, describing the toll as “dramatic”.

“It happened at around 8:08 am (0608 GMT) when a minibus was struck by a train that was due to stop at the next station, which was about a kilometre away,” he said.

Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin wrote on X that “my thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones”.

“I wish the injured much strength,” he wrote.