Two Dutch seriously hurt in Belgium bus crash

A bus accident on the E40 highway west of Ghent left 21 people injured during the early hours of Wednesday morning. At least six Dutch were on board. Two of them were seriously injured, as were two British passengers, the Belgian police said, NOS reports.

The Dutch bus driver sustained minor injuries, according to sector organization Koninklijk Nederlands Vervoer (KNV). He injured his ankle, has some abrasions and is in shock.

Roadworks were happening on the highway overnight. The bus driver did not see the road closure and crashed head-on into a concrete barrier, according to the broadcaster. How that could have happened is not yet clear. After the accident the driver said that he had adhered to all driving- and rest times, and was not under the influence of alcohol.

The Ouibus bus was traveling to London, according to Carlo Cahn from KNV. The bus came from company Oostenrijk in Diemen. The company handles the regular service from Amsterdam to London on behalf of Ouibus. "The bus stopped in Antwerp and Brussels, and was on its way to the train to go to London", Cahn said to NOS. According to him, the bus is fairly new, from 2015, and underwent a safety check every 28 days.

The bus carried passengers from the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, among others.