SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot people waiting for the trains at the Gare Du Nord Station
2. Pan of the train timetable
3. Close up of sign that reads in (French) “cancelled” referring to the trains to Brussels from Gare du Nord Station
4. Pan out from the name of Thalys train company, to people waiting in line
5. People waiting in line at the Thalys information desk
6. SOUNDBITE (English): Vox Pop, Train passenger:
“A friend of mine lives here, I came to visit her, so I will just go back to her and get the keys and stay here another day.”
7. Passengers asking for information from train employee
8. Top shot of Gare Du Nord Station
9. Passengers in line a the Thalys information desk
10. Train arriving at platform
11. Passengers exiting train
STORYLINE
A number of passengers at the Gare Du Nord Station in Paris had their train journeys cancelled on Monday following a deadly collision between two trains in Brussels that caused major disruptions to the rail networks across Western Europe.
The commuter trains collided head-on after one ran a stop light during rush hour in a Brussels suburb, killing at least 11 people, a
Belgian official said. Other officials said the death toll was higher.
The impact peeled away the front of one train car and threw at least one other off the tracks, causing amputations and other severe injuries, witnesses and officials said.
Train services across Western Europe were disrupted and many in Paris had to make alternative travel arrangements with some being force to postpone their trips until tomorrow.
All trains bound for Belgium were completely suspended.
The international high-speed network Thalys, which links major cities in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, temporarily halted all traffic to Belgium because its trains use the same rails as commuter lines near Hal, officials said.
At a press conference four hours after the crash, Lodewijk De Witte, the governor of the province of Flemish Brabant, put the official death toll at 11.
He also said one train apparently did not heed a stop light but railways spokesman Jochen Goovaerts would not speculate about the cause of the crash.
Earlier, the Belgian railways reported as many as 25 dead while the mayor of Buizingen, the Brussels suburb where the crash occurred, spoke of 20 dead.
The trains collided in light snow just outside of the station at Buizingen around 8:30 a.m. (0730GMT).
There was no immediate word on the number of injured.
Officials said the seriously hurt were taken to hospitals and the lightly injured were moved to a Buizingen sports complex.
The force of the collision smashed one train deep into the front of the other, peeling back the metal sides.
The trains tipped high into the air and broke overhead power lines, causing massive damage.
Eurostar reported on its Web site that its high-speed trains had suspended service in and out of Brussels and could remain shut down all day.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash.
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme cancelled a trip to Kosovo, turning around his plane minutes after landing at Pristina”s main airport, the Kosovo prime minister”s office said.
It was the most serious Belgian train accident since March 28, 2001, when eight people died when a crowded train ploughed into an empty train driving on the wrong tracks.
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Post time: Feb-17-2017