Several people are confirmed dead and dozens were treated for injuries and stress after a passenger train crashed into a cargo train in the Belgian town of Hermalle-sous-Huy near the city of Liege, badly damaging two of its cars.

A briefing with Belgian authorities, including Minister of Mobility Francois Bellot, confirmed that three people were killed in the crash, while nine were brought to a hospital for treatment, some in critical condition. Another 27 passengers received help at the site and were later allowed to go home.

The death toll could rise further, the mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Francis Dejon, told Belga news agency early on Monday. 

The collision was extremely violent, the agency reported.

Emergency crews and police have been working at the site of the accident, which is between the cities of Liege and Namur.

“Two trains were on the same track. The passenger train crashed into the back of the goods train,” a spokesman for the Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel, Frederic Sacre, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

(RT)