Three people have been killed and at least nine seriously injured in a train crash near the Belgian city of Liege.

A high-speed train collided into the back of a cargo train at around 23:00 (21:00 GMT) in the town of Hermalle-sous-Huy.

The train was carrying 40 passengers between Liege and Namur and travelling at about 90km/h (55mph), when it struck the cargo train.

The front two carriages of the of the passenger train were derailed in the crash, with the front carriage completely folded back on itself, according to local mayor Francis Dejon.

Rail infrastructure manager, Infrabel, has launched an investigation into the cause of the collision.

Belgian public broadcaster VRT said in a statement:

“The investigation into the cause of the rail crash is fully under way. The lightning strike is a possible line of inquiry, but there are still safety systems which are supposed to come into place.”