2022 Strépy-Bracquegnies car crash | |
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Location | Strépy-Bracquegnies, Belgium |
Coordinates | 50°27′54″N 4°06′54″E / 50.465°N 4.115°E |
Date | 20 March 2022 |
Weapons | Car |
Deaths | 6 |
Injured | 40 |
Motive | Unknown |
Charges | Manslaughter |
In the morning of 20 March 2022, a motorist drove a car through a crowd celebrating Carnival in Strépy-Bracquegnies, La Louvière, Belgium. Six people were killed and around 40 were wounded, with ten of the wounded people having very serious or even potentially fatal injuries. [1]
A crowd of 150–200 people were parading towards the centre of the village, [2] dressed up in costumes in celebration of the Christian festival of Carnival when the car collided with the crowd in the rue des Canadiens. [3] A TV presenter said that the vehicle "deliberately entered" the crowd, killing several people. [4] After crashing into the crowd, the car, which was carrying two people, sped off from the scene; later being stopped by police. [5]
Six people in total were killed, including Frédéric d'Andrea, a steward for the RAAL La Louvière football club. [6] [7]
Police denied early reports that the vehicle had been engaging in a "high-speed chase" by police at the time. While a terrorist motive was ruled out, whether or not it was intentional was at first unclear. [8]
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said he was shocked by the incident and responded to it as "horrible news", [1] and travelled to the village with Philippe of Belgium that day. French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his sorrow and expressed empathy to Belgium. [6]
The driver was charged with manslaughter a few days later. He confessed he had exceeded the speed limit when the crash occurred, and insisted that what had happened was an accident. [9] Investigation indicated that the driver had been going 160 km/h while under the influence and using his mobile phone. [10]