Two seriously injured in steam locomotive explosion

Four people were injured, including two seriously injured at the weekend following an explosion in a steam locomotive, writes VTM News. The accident occurred during the annual Steam Days festival of Maldegem, East Flanders, which this year commemorated 50 years since the last steam train ride through Belgium.

As the steam locomotive made its final ride on Saturday with 60 passengers between Eeklo and Maldegem, an explosion occurred in the cabin, which gave rise to a large flame. A safety mechanism was able to confine the fire.

One of the drivers of the train was seriously injured and taken to the University Hospital in Ghent with severe burns. The other driver broke his leg after jumping from the window of the moving train to escape the fire. Two others, with lighter injuries, were treated at the hospital in Eeklo. All passengers were unharmed.

The Belgian justice ministry has started an investigation into the cause of the explosion, which was possibly due to a low water level and subsequent build-up of pressure in the boiler.