Four children killed on cargo bike in Dutch

The children were being taken to local schools on the bike when the accident happened on a level crossing in the southern town of Oss, west of Nijmegen.

A fifth child and a woman were seriously hurt in the crash.

The woman on the back of the cargo-bike had just dropped off a child at one school before cycling to another.

Little is known about what led to the accident near Oss-West station.

The children who died were of primary-school age, which in the Netherlands can start at four.

Although the level crossing has barriers, unconfirmed reports suggest the cargo bike carrying the five children had gone under the barrier on a bike path before it was hit.

Witnesses said 15 cars had been waiting at the level crossing when the cargo bike had gone past, the Volkskrant website reported.Rail officials on Thursday spoke of an "ink-black day" and infrastructure secretary Stientje van Veldhoven said she had a "knot" in her stomach. "From the bottom of my heart, all the best to everyone involved."

Prime Minister Mark Rutte tweeted that he was deeply moved by the "horrific accident".