Train wreck

Eighteen people have been confirmed dead after two packed commuter trains collided head-on during morning rush hour outside Brussels on Monday.

The search for victims in the twisted wreckage was suspended after nightfall. "We don't think there are any more victims in the trains," Anja De Wolf, an official at the crisis center, told the AFP news agency. "But there could still be more bodies trapped under the carriages."

About 125 people were injured in the crash, which involved one train traveling from Quievrain to Liege and another going from Leuven to Braine-le-Comte, according to Belgian track operator Infrabel.

There was no immediate report of the cause of the accident, but driver error was suspected.

At a press conference held four hours after the crash, Lodewijk De Witte, governor of the province of Flemish Brabant, said the driver of one of the trains "apparently did not heed a stop light."

'Train didn't brake'

"The collision was brutal, the train didn't brake," one unnamed passenger was quoted as saying by the RTL television's website. "Wagons have been turned over, lots of people are in shock." AFP reported that doctors were performing on-site emergency surgery.

Railway authorities wouldn't speculate on the cause, saying they were waiting for the outcome of an investigation.

News agency AP reported that the crash also caused great damage to overhead power lines in the station.

The crash occurred on a key line, causing widespread travel disruptions. Eurostar service to and from London along with Thalys rail services to France, Germany and the Netherlands were canceled, with the disruptions set to continue on Tuesday.

dfm/cmk/AP/Reuters/dpa/AFP

Editor: Chuck Penfold