Death Toll Rose to 18 after Train Crash in Belgium

Eurostar can be reckoned among serious victims of the accident after two commuter trains crashed in Belgium, as its services between the UK and Brussels have been suspended for a second day after that.

The head-on collision, which happened on Monday morning, killed 18 passangers, injured almost 150 other people, 55 seriously.

Eurostar cancelled its trains in and out of the Belgium capital, and its Lille services has run with delays.

In a statement on its website, Eurostar said: "We advise that if you do not need to travel to Brussels on Tuesday 16 February that you defer or cancel your trip". They promise to refund or exchange tickets for a later date, as passangers would wish.

An investigation has been launched into the rush-hour train collision which happened just outside Brussels.

The front carriages smashed into each other and were forced up into the air, damaging overhead power lines.

Rescue workers spent all of Monday searching the wreckage for victims, fearing that the death toll could rise.

Fifty-five commuters were seriously injured while a further 89 people sustained minor injuries.

As of Monday evening, officials said 15 men and three women had been killed.

The cause of the crash is unknown, but the governor of Flemish Brabant province, Lodewijk De Witte, said one of the trains seemed to have missed a stop signal.

The crashed trains may not be completely removed from the tracks for two or three days, the Brussels public prosecutor's office said, according to Associated Press news agency report.