Watch CBS News

Train Driver Survives Belgium Crash

Belgian railway officials said Tuesday one of the drivers of two trains that collided outside Brussels, killing at least 18 people, has survived the crash with serious injuries.

Officials said Monday that 80 people were injured, 20 of them seriously, and the death toll was not considered final. As darkness fell more than 10 hours later, rescuers were still looking for victims in the wreckage, said Jos Colpin, the spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office.

CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports that emergency medical workers set up a triage and command center near the scene of the accident to coordinate their effort.

Rescuers were to resume the search Tuesday for more victims in the wreckage of the two commuter trains that collided in one of the deadliest rail accidents in Belgian history.

National Railways spokesman Jochen Goovaerts said police will question the driver when his condition allows it.

Belgian police investigators will examine the black boxes of the two trains to try to determine whether mechanical failure, human error or weather conditions were primarily responsible for the crash near a suburban station 9 miles south of Brussels.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.