A car drove into a crowd gathering to take part in a carnival Sunday morning in the Belgian town of La Louvière, killing six people and seriously injuring 10 others, authorities said.
“A car traveling at high speed drove into the crowd that had gathered to attend (the carnival),” Jacques Gobert, the mayor of this city in southern Belgium, told the Belga press agency.
The accident occurred around 5 a.m. in Strepy-Bracquegnies, a village which is part of the industrial town of La Louvière, the authorities said.
The terrorist track excluded
According to a press release from the mayor’s office, a so-called “pick-up” group – people gathering to go to the carnival – of around a hundred people had just left the Omnisports hall to go back to the center of the village when a vehicle drove up. in the crowd.
“In the current state of the investigation, we know that a vehicle drove into a collection group and that we deplore six deaths, 26 injured at various stages” including “10 people whose days are currently in danger “, declared Damien Verheyen, deputy public prosecutor of Mons, during a press conference in La Louvière.
“The car was occupied by two people who were arrested”, he added, specifying that they were from La Louvière and were born in 1988 and 1990 respectively. He added that the terrorist track was excluded for the moment. .
A psychological unit has been set up for the injured and the families of the victims.