A car drove into a crowd gathering to take part in a carnival early this Sunday in southern Belgium, killing at least six people and injuring 26 others, ten of them seriously, announced the authorities who ruled out the track for the moment. terrorist. The accident occurred around 5 a.m. in Strépy-Bracquegnies, a village dependent on the town of La Louvière not far from the French border.
“A car driving at high speed drove into the crowd which had gathered to attend (the carnival),” Jacques Gobert, mayor of La Louvière, told the Belga press agency. “In the current state of the investigation, the terrorist track is not privileged”, declared Damien Verheyen, deputy public prosecutor of Mons, during a press conference in La Louvière.
The two suspects under the influence of alcohol
According to the first elements of the investigation, the driver was under the influence of alcohol and returned from an evening in a nightclub, driving a powerful car, accompanied by another man, also stopped. The police are still waiting to find out if they were under the influence of a drug. In parallel, the investigators are currently carrying out searches at the homes of the two men.
“Struck in the heart”
According to Damien Verheyen, “a vehicle drove into a collection group” of people dressed as Gilles for the carnival and “we deplore six deaths, 26 injured at various stages” including “10 people whose lives are currently in danger”. “The car was occupied by two people who were arrested,” he added, adding that they were from La Louvière and were born in 1988 and 1990. The two suspects are not known to the authorities for acts terrorism, he said.
“There were between 150 and 200 people” during the collection, said the mayor during the press conference. The vehicle arrived at high speed and “sprayed a significant number of people”. “Horrible news from Strépy-Bracquegnies,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Twitter. “A community that was gathering to celebrate was struck in the heart.”
My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died and were injured in the incident that occurred this morning in Strépy. What was supposed to be a friendly party turned into a tragedy. We are monitoring the situation closely.
— Annelies Verlinden (@AnneliesVl) March 20, 2022
“My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones. All my support also goes to the emergency services for their help and assistance provided,” added Mr. De Croo who was to go there during the day, accompanied by King Philippe. according to the Prime Minister’s office.
In Belgium, towns and villages organize many street parades for Carnival during Lent, the best known in Binche and Aalst. Like that of Binche, the carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies welcomes costumed participants, the “Gilles”, summoned early to participate in the parade. “I was walking alongside,” said a witness, Théo, on Belgian public television RTBF. “I turned around and saw a car driving into the troop.”
“Lots of people on the ground”
“She arrived very quickly and did not brake. She continued and she embarked a Gille 100 meters further”, continued the young man. “There were a lot of people on the ground.” “A drama that particularly affects us here”, tweeted Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice (South of France), a city whose carnival is one of the three main in the world with those of Rio de Janeiro and Venice. He recalled that the Gilles de La Louvière had recently been the guests of honor.
The mayor of La Louvière said he asked organizers to cancel other carnival events, the first to be held after two years of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic. In neighboring Germany, on February 24, 2020 in Volkmarsen (West), a man purposely drove his vehicle into the crowd during a carnival parade, injuring some 90 people, including children. He was sentenced in December to life imprisonment.
In the afternoon, King Philippe of Belgium went there to meet several families of victims.