Six dead ‘after car being chased by police’ hits crowd at carnival in Belgium
20 March 2022, 08:45 | Updated: 20 March 2022, 11:24
Six people have been killed and dozens injured after a car crashed into a carnival crowd in Belgium early this morning.
A crowd of more than 100 people had gathered in Strepy-Bracquegnies, 30 miles south of Brussels, at dawn on Sunday for the start of celebrations of a carnival which had been cancelled for the past two years due to coronavirus.
Six people died and many others were injured. The village's mayor said a child was among those killed. A local emergency was also declared.
Two people were arrested at the scene. Local police say the incident was not terror-related.
Mayor Jacques Gobert told RTBF radio: "A car drove from the back at high speed. We have a few dozen injured and unfortunately several people who are killed."
Mr Gobert told broadcaster RTL: "There are no words for this, it is horrible. I arrived shortly after the disaster. Seeing those bodies scattered on the road. You can not imagine that something like this can happen here and yet it happened."
Reports said the crash may have been caused by a car being chased by police.
About two dozen others were injured in the incident at a village about 30 miles south of Brussels. Ten more people are said to be in a life-threatening condition.
The driver was arrested after the crash, according to local reports.
