After Kosovo, Leterme was due to visit Albania, Montenegro and Serbia, in a visit largely seen as part of preparations for the Belgian EU Presidency, which starts on 1 July 2010. Belgian King Albert II also interrupted a holiday in France to join Leterme at the site of the accident.
The head-on collision near Hal, which occurred during the Monday morning rush hour, killed 18 people and left more than 50 severely injured. Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the crash, but one of the train drivers reportedly failed to respect a stop signal. The two trains were carrying a total of 550 passengers.
The Belgian press deplored the fact that the country had been slow to introduce a system which would stop trains automatically in case of human error.
As the wreckage is not expected to be removed before the end of the investigation, traffic on high-speed lines Thalys and Eurostar, which link Brussels to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne, will be suspended on Tuesday, it was announced. The high-speed trains normally run on the same tracks on which the crash took place.
A telephone number (02/528.28.28) and a website (www.railtime.be) have been set up to inform travellers of changes to normal traffic.
Condolences have been pouring in from across Europe and all over the world. Belgium is expected to declare a day of national mourning for the victims.
