BRUSSELS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Belgium railway workers went on strike on Tuesday morning, one day after two passenger trains crashed headon near Brussels that killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 150 others.
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| Emergency crew work on the site where two trains crashed near Halle February 15, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
The union of the railway workers said the all-out strike aimed to protest the working conditions. The union chief Gerard Gelmini criticized the managers of the national train company, the SNCB, for being keen on buidling new stations and offices, instead of security equipments.
The strike has affected the railway transportion in Belgium, causing many cancellations and delays. Recent snows had also caused disruption of public transport in Belgium.
The accident happened at 8:45 local time (0745 GMT) on Monday morning in the Belgium town of Halle, some 15 kilometers southwest of Brussels, which is one of the worst rail accident in the Belgian history.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation, with suspicions of one driver's mistake as well as lack of safte equipements.
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Backgrounder: Major train accidents in Belgium since 1960
