Relatives of the victims of a bus crash in Sierre stand outside their hotel in Uvrier near Sion March 15, 2012. Distraught relatives flew to Switzerland on Wednesday after a bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others. Twenty-four passengers remained in hospital, including three children in Lausanne with critical injuries, but the other survivors were out of danger, Swiss officials said.Reuters
Relatives of the victims of a bus crash in Sierre stand outside their hotel in Uvrier near Sion March 15, 2012. Distraught relatives flew to Switzerland on Wednesday after a bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others. Twenty-four passengers remained in hospital, including three children in Lausanne with critical injuries, but the other survivors were out of danger, Swiss officials said.ReutersA woman, paying tribute to the victims of a bus crash in Switzerland, wipes her eyes while looking at drawings outside St Lambertus school in Heverlee March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Sierre in the Valais region of Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children, police said on Wednesday. The bus was transporting 52 passengers, mostly school children from the towns of Lommel and Heverlee in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.ReutersAn unidentified former student arrives at the Sint Lambertus school in Belgium, March 14, 2012. A bus carrying Belgian tourists crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Sierre in the Valais region of Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children, police said on Wednesday. The bus, transported 52 people, mostly school children from Heverlee and Lommel in Flanders.ReutersA woman places floral tributes on a pedestrian walkway in front of the Tunnel de Sierre following a bush crash in Sierre western Switzerland March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others. Twenty-four passengers remained in hospital, including three children in Lausanne with critical injuries, but the other survivors were out of danger, Swiss officials said.ReutersA lit candle and a teddy bear are seen next to the lyrics of singer Celine Dion's song "Vole" to pay tribute to the victims of Sierre's bus crash at the Lac de Geronde outside Sierre, March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Sierre in the Valais region of Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children, police said on Wednesday. The bus was carrying 52 people, mostly school children from Heverlee and Lommel in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.ReutersMourners light candles as they pay tribute to the victims of Sierre's bus crash at the Lac de Geronde outside Sierre , March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Sierre in the Valais region of Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children, police said on Wednesday. The bus was carrying 52 people, mostly school children from Heverlee and Lommel in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.ReutersFlowers are placed at the scene of an accident inside the Tunnel de Sierre, during a news conference in Sierre March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others. Twenty-four passengers remained in hospital, including three children in Lausanne with critical injuries, but the other survivors were out of danger, Swiss officials said.ReutersCandles and flowers are seen at the scene of an accident inside the Tunnel de Sierre during a news conference in Sierre March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others. Twenty-four passengers remained in hospital, including three children in Lausanne with critical injuries, but the other survivors were out of danger, Swiss officials said.ReutersA woman, paying tribute to the victims of a bus crash in Switzerland, wipes her eyes outside St Lambertus school in Heverlee March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Sierre in the Valais region of Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children, police said on Wednesday. The bus was transporting 52 passengers, mostly school children from the towns of Lommel and Heverlee in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.ReutersA girl holds a rose while waiting in a bus to visit the scene of an accident in Tunnel de Sierre, in Uvrier near Sion March 15, 2012.ReutersA man cries in front of the 't Stekske school in Lommel, as he pays his respects to victims of the bus crash in Switzerland, March 15, 2012.ReutersFlowers and other tributes are seen in front of the 't Stekske school in Lommel, as people pay their respects to the victims of the bus crash in Sierre, Switzerland, March 15, 2012.ReutersPolice officers carry the coffin of one of the 28 victims of the coach crash in Sierre, and load it into a Belgian military cargo aircraft at Sion airport in western Switzerland March 16, 2012. Belgian military aircraft began returning home the bodies of 22 children and six adults killed in a bus crash in Switzerland on Friday as the country prepared to observe a minute's silence to remember the victims.ReutersA Swiss flag flies at half-mast outside the building of the Swiss Foreign Department at the Swiss Federal Palace in west Bern March 16, 2012. Belgian military aircraft began returning home the bodies of 22 children and six adults killed in a bus crash in Switzerland on Friday as the country prepared to observe a minute's silence to remember the victims.ReutersA European Union flag and a Belgian flag fly at half mast outside an official government building in Brussels March 16, 2012. Belgium said it would hold a national day of mourning on Friday for 22 children and six adults killed in a bus crash in Switzerland, as parents of the victims and the first of the survivors headed home.ReutersPolice Cantonale du Valais officials pay the last honours to victims before the take off of a Belgian army Hercules aircraft carrying an unknown number of bodies at the airport in Sion March 16, 2012. The bodies of the 22 children and six adults killed on Wednesday in a coach accident in Sierre are flown back to Belgium.ReutersA Belgian flag flies at half mast outside the Belgian Royal Palace in Brussels March 16, 2012. Belgium said it would hold a national day of mourning on Friday for 22 children and six adults killed in a bus crash in Switzerland, as parents of the victims and the first of the survivors headed home.ReutersA Belgian army Hercules aircraft carrying an unknown number of bodies gets ready to take off at the airport in Sion March 16, 2012. The bodies of the 22 children and six adults killed on Wednesday in a coach accident in Sierre are flown back to Belgium.ReutersPlayers of Hannover 96 (blue) and Standard Liege observe a minute of silence for victims of the Switzerland bus accident before their Europa League last 16 second leg soccer match in Hanover March 15, 2012. A bus carrying a Belgian school group home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others on Tuesday.Reuters
Belgium is holding a day of national mourning for 28 people, including 22 children, who were killed when the bus they were travelling in crashed into the wall of a tunnel on the way back from a school skiing trip.
A minute's silence was observed across Belgium at 11:00 (10:00 GMT). Flags will be flown at half mast and the drivers of buses and trains switched off their engines.
Relatives of the dead children had travelled to Switzerland to pay their tributes to their beloved ones. They placed wreaths and flowers in the tunnel where the mishap occurred.
