Authorities in Europe say five people were killed Sunday when a bus carrying Russian school children crashed into a ravine in Belgium.
According to the Glasgow Evening Times , the bus, loaded with a total of 42 — including 31 teenagers between 12 and 17 years of age — people for an overnight journey from Volgograd to Paris, smashed through a barrier on a highway near Antwerp and plunged nearly 15 feet down an embankment.
Police say the accident happened around 6:30 am and no other vehicles were involved at first sight.
A teacher, a tour guide and a teenager from Russia as well as two Polish drivers died in the crash, Russian embassy in Belgium confirms.
At least 19 people have been injured, 5 are in critical condition. The survivors are being treated for their injuries in local hospitals.
“My thoughts are with those injured in the accident,” Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said. “Our authorities and emergency services are doing everything to help them.”
While authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, police speculate that the driver fell asleep at the wheel, as there are no track marks on the road indicating he had attempted to stop.
Reports say the bus may have been traveling as fast as 60 miles per hour when it crashed.
Belgian officials said the bodies of the three dead Russians will be flown home later while bodies of the two dead Polish drivers will be autopsied.
Here is a video on Sunday’s tragic bus crash in Belgium:
