First-aid workers work on the roof of traveler's train after the collision between a goods train and a passenger train on June 5, 2016 near Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Belgium. [Photo/VCG]

BRUSSELS - Three people were killed and 40 others injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Belgium Sunday night, local media quoted authorities as saying.

The accident occurred in the town of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse in the province of Liege, according to the Belga news agency.

Based on an initial assessment, the crash killed three people and wounded 40 others, said Francis Dejon, mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse.

The accident occurred around 11:15 pm (2115 GMT) and the collision was obviously "very violent", said the Belga news agency.

The passenger train has its first two carriages destroyed, it said. Emergency services rushed to the scene around midnight.