A truck crashed into a neighborhood festival in the Netherlands, killing at least two people. The truck got off a dike in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland near Rotterdam on Saturday evening and drove into a barbecue, the police said. Several people were injured.
The driver, a 46-year-old Spaniard, was unharmed and, according to the police, was arrested and taken to a police station for questioning. The cause of the accident was not known. Eyewitnesses spoke of great chaos and a picture of devastation.
The number of dead was uncertain for a long time. In order to get final clarity, the articulated lorry should first be salvaged, which comes from a Spanish trucking company. A crane truck arrived. Police worked late into the night to pull the truck back onto the road. Ten ambulances and a helicopter were deployed. Several victims were taken to the hospital, broadcaster NOS reported.
Photos of the crime scene showed pennants in the trees and lawn chairs that had been thrown over. A white van was searched for in the evening. What he had to do with the accident remained unclear.
Mayor Charlie Aptroot visited the scene of the accident later that evening and expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
“You can imagine what a blow it is: during a neighborhood festival, a truck drives into this group of people, the shock is enormous,” said a police spokeswoman for the Omroep Rijnmond broadcaster. The community takes care of the care of the numerous witnesses to the terrible events.
The accident happened near an intersection. The rather narrow streets run along a dyke, at the foot of which the festival was in progress. “It’s a very close-knit village community here in Nieuw-Bejerland,” Mayor Charlie Aptroot told NOS. The accident was a terrible blow for the residents. “People want to know how their relatives or close friends are doing. But there is still no complete overview.”
Around 100 people had registered for the festival organized by an association, a local resident told Omroep Rijnmond. Another neighbor spoke of “complete chaos”. Everyone was in a panic. Everyone wanted to help. “But there were an awful lot of injuries.”