The mothers and fathers who flew to Switzerland on Wednesday faced every parent's
worst nightmare, the loss of a child. They went to the scene of the horrific bus crash
that had killed 22 children and six others who had been on a ski trip.
Belgium
Prime Minister Elio di Rupo said their's was a deep rooted sense of loss.
"We
know that this deep pain is rooted inside every parent, every family"
As the
Beligian authorities prepared to fly the bodies of the children home, attention was
being turned to how the crash could have happened.
Police said the bus was
not speeding and everyone aboard had been wearing seat belts when it crashed late
Tuesday inside a Tunnel in the southern town of Sierre.
In Belgium, the Bishop
of Hasselt, Patrick Hoogmartens, said he had tried to offer what comfort he could
to the grief stricken families.
“There was one mother who said to me, ‘the
only thing we can do is hope and pray’. I think it’s so, and it is also my attitude.”
“I tried to help them to be faithful and hopeful, but the situation is very
difficult for us and for them.
On Wednesday evening a prayer vigil was held
in Leuven cathedral in Belgium for the victims of the crash.
Pope Benedict
XVI sent his condolences to the families of the victims and all those involved in
the tragedy and said he was praying for them. On Wednesday, Belgium held a day
of national mourning, while the Swiss and the European parliaments observed a minute's
silence for the victims. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report