Two-year-old girl dies after police chase van carrying refugees in Belgium

Inquiry launched to determine whether police action contributed to death

Shots reportedly fired during incident, but prosecutors say girl was not hit by gunfire (JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

A two-year-old girl has died after a van carrying around 30 Kurdish refugees was chased by armed police in Belgium.

Police said the girl died soon after the van was stopped in a village near the town of Mons.

After the van collided with another vehicle the occupants emerged and a scuffle broke out between them and the police, during which shots were fired, according to the BBC.

The police fired on the van in an effort to get it to stop, The Guardian said, citing a source.

However, prosecutors have stressed the girl was not hit by gunfire.

Belgian media reports said the girl, who was accompanied by her mother, had been held out of the window in an apparent attempt to deter the police.

Police found 26 adults, three children and the body of the girl inside the van. The occupants were arrested and will be questioned at a local police station.

A post mortem examination into the girl's death will be conducted.

An inquiry has also been established to determine whether police action had contributed to the girl's death.

The Guardian's source told the newspaper the refugees had recently been deported to Germany but had returned to Belgium, from where they were planning to make their way to the UK.

Police attempted to stop the van because it was being driven in a strange manner, they said. It was also found to be carrying false number plates.