Eurostar, Thalys services remain suspended after Brussels crash

AFP - There will be no Eurostar or Thalys high-speed international train services in or out of Brussels Tuesday after a fatal train collision near the Belgian capital, the companies announced.
   
The services were shut early Monday after two commuter trains collided near Halle, southwest of Brussels, killing at least 18 people.
   
"Due to an accident between two Belgian commuter trains, services in and out of Brussels are completely suspended and will remain so for today and Tuesday," announced Eurostar, which runs services between the Belgian capital and London.
   
Its service between London and Paris was unaffected, it said on its website.
   
Thalys, which runs lines to France, Germany and The Netherlands from Brussels, made a similar on-line announcement.
   
The head-on collision Monday left 18 people dead and some 125 injured, according to official figures, making it one of the worst rail accidents in Belgian history.
   
The crashed trains may not be fully removed from the tracks for two or three days due to an investigation, the Brussels public prosecutor's office said, meaning further international cancellations were possible.
   
The Eurostar and Thalys trains servicing Brussels pass by the crash site.