World
November 30, 2024 06:50
veldegem, belgium - Two brothers from Veldegem, Belgium, were saved just in time before a train crashed into their bus, leaving them unharmed but in shock.
For many students, the journey to school Friday morning was harrowing. A bus belonging to transport company De Lijn was hit by an oncoming train in Veldegem, Zedelgem. Just minutes before, the bus came to a stop on the railway crossing, and unable to restart, the driver quickly evacuated all passengers. Footage circulating on social media showed that he acted just in time.
Yonander Rombaux (16) and his brother Milan (14) were heading to school Friday morning. The brothers always take the bus from Veldegem to Sint-Michiels together. 'In the mornings, there are always three buses to Bruges,' said Yonander. 'We usually take the second bus, but it was delayed by 12 minutes today. The third bus arrived sooner, so we decided to take that one.' Yonander and a friend sat at the back, while Milan took a seat in the middle. 'I have to get off one stop earlier, so I can easily exit the bus.'
'Suddenly, the bus couldn't move,' Yonander said. 'It didn't hesitate or anything.' It was then that Yonander realized the bus had stopped on the railway crossing. 'The driver tried to restart the bus, but it didn't work.' Everyone remained on the bus until the driver stood up and urged everyone to leave immediately. 'There was no panic at that point,' Yonander said. 'Everyone calmly exited the bus. The panic only set in when the railway crossing closed, and the lights turned red.'
That signal could only mean one thing: a high-speed train was approaching. 'Nobody knew what would happen. Everyone gathered a bit further away from the railway crossing to ensure no debris would fall on us.'
Just four minutes after the bus stopped, the oncoming train rammed into it. 'That sound,' Yonander said, pausing. 'It was unbelievable.' Milan also fell silent when recalling the moment. 'That noise was abnormal,' he said. 'I've never heard anything like it. I keep hearing that impact in my head.' Yonander agreed. 'I keep replaying that collision in my mind.'
Mother Kristel Bonny (38) had left home and was on her way to work. The children had called their stepfather. 'Suddenly, I received a call from my husband,' Kristel said. 'He told me the boys had called him, saying the bus had stopped and a train hit it. It was all very vague, and we didn't quite understand.' She decided to turn back to pick up her sons. 'At that moment, I hadn't grasped the seriousness of the situation,' the mother said. 'I wanted to pick up Yonander and Milan and drop them off at school so they wouldn't be late. But as I turned onto the street, I saw a large number of emergency services.'
Yonander and Milan were taken to a woman's house nearby. 'She took us to a garage in the area,' Yonander said. Kristel arrived shortly after. 'The boys were very upset by the whole incident,' the mother said. 'That's when I decided to take them home.'
Milan had a video of the collision between the train and the bus. 'It only started to sink in when I saw that video,' Kristel said, visibly emotional. 'It's really strange to watch. That's when I realized I could've lost my children. The idea that they were still on that bus.'
The mother and the boys are eternally grateful to the bus driver for acting quickly. 'I hope attention is also given to that man,' Yonander said. 'Friday morning, the bus driver was left alone watching the entire incident. No one approached him, so I went to him. All he could say was, 'Is everyone out of the bus?' The bus driver turned out to be Jerko Tipuric, 64, a former footballer for Belgian clubs Cercle Brugge and Beerschot.'
The boys plan to take the bus again on Monday. 'There's no point living in fear,' Kristel said. 'Anything can happen. They're staying home from school today, but indeed, the plan is to take the bus again on Monday. My motherly heart would prefer not to, though.'