Driver killed and 16 injured after London-bound bus crashes in Belgium

A driver has died and a 15-year-old boy is fighting for life after a minibus bound for London overturned in Belgium.

Sixteen occupants were injured with the most severe being the teenage boy who remains in hospital after the incident in Antwerp, about 3.30am on Sunday.

The mini-bus was returning a group of Jewish worshippers back to London after visiting the Pshevorsk Rabbi in Antwerp for the Sabbath, according to Belgian media.

Antwerp Police said the bus was involved in a minor collision with a BMW before driving off at a crossroad.

The driver of the BMW pursued the minibus but stopped when he saw a police car which pursued the white minibus instead.

The bus then hit a tram pole in the middle of the lane causing it to flip over.

The driver was killed at the scene and a 15-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

The injuries sustained by the rest of the group were described as minor and most have now been discharged from hospital.

The BMW driver was also taken to hospital with shock.

Wouter Bruyns of the Antwerp Police said: “The driver of the BMW followed the bus but stopped when he saw a police car.

“The man reported the collision, and the police patrol pursued the bus.

“When the patrol arrived at the intersection of Sint-Bernardsesteenweg and Generaal Armstrongweg, the bus was already on its side.

“The medical intervention plan has been declared. Most of the passengers were lightly injured but still taken to the hospital.

“A 15-year-old is so seriously injured that he is in critical condition. Unfortunately, all help came too late for the driver. He died on the spot.”

The bus is understood to have been part of a regular bus service between the Jewish community in London and the Orthodox community of the great Rabbi Leibush in Antwerp.

The four-hour services run from the UK to Antwerp nearly every week so believers can attend Sabbath prayers and meals at the Antwerp synagogue.