A car drove into crowds taking part in a carnival early in the morning of Sunday March 20 in the town of La Louvière in Belgium, killing six people and seriously injuring ten others, said Jacques Gobert, the mayor of this town. of 80,000 inhabitants located between Mons and Charleroi, in the south of the country. The reasons for this act are not yet known.
The facts occurred around 5 a.m. Sunday morning, near the sports hall of Strépy-Bracquegnies, a section in the west of the city. According to a press release from the municipality, a group of about a hundred people had just left the hall to go back to the center of the city when a driver drove into the crowd from behind. “A speeding car drove into the crowd that had gathered to watch the Gilles pick up. The driver then continued on his way, but we intercepted him,” said Mr. Gobert.
The initial toll reported four dead and twelve wounded, but, according to the town’s emergency unit, the toll increased in the morning to six dead. “In the current state of the investigation, (…) we deplore six deaths and twenty-six injured “of which “ten people whose lives are currently in danger”said Damien Verheyen, deputy public prosecutor of Mons, during a press conference. “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.
The municipal emergency plan has been triggered. “We have made the municipal sports hall available to families, and the victim assistance service has also been activated”, said Jacques Gobert. The circumstances of the collision between the car and the crowd have not yet been elucidated.
“There are no words, it’s horror”
In Belgium, towns and villages organize many street parades for carnival, 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. The city of La Louvière had launched the period of festivities at the beginning of March, after two years without carnival due to the epidemic due to SARS-CoV-2. The carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies was to be held from March 20 to 22.
“I was walking besidetold a witness, Théo, on Belgian public television RTBF. I turned around and saw a car speeding into the troop. She arrived very quickly and did not brake. She continued and she boarded a “Gille” 100 meters further. There were plenty of people on the ground. »
“There are no words, it’s horror. Having arrived on the spot some time after the disaster, seeing these bodies scattered on the road, the people who are suffering. You cannot imagine that it could exist and, unfortunately, it does. There are no words, it’s dramatic,” reacted the mayor on RTL info.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his support. “Horrible news from Strépy-Bracquegnies. A community gathering to celebrate was struck in the heart. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. All my support also goes to the emergency services for their help and assistance provided”he tweeted.