At least six dead in multiple outrage at a carnival in Belgium

A car rushed into a crowd participating in a carnival on Sunday morning in the city of La Louvière, in southern Belgium, killing six people and seriously injuring nearly thirty, authorities announced.

The incident occurred around 05h00 local (04H00 GMT) at the carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnie, a district of the once industrial city of La Louvière, authorities said.

“In the current state of the investigation, the terrorist track is not privileged,” said Damien Verheyen, deputy prosecutor of Mons, at a press conference in La Louvière.

According to Verheyen, “a vehicle broke into a group” of people dressed up for the carnival and six dead are deplored, 26 injured”, of whom “10 people whose lives are in danger”.

The two suspects are not known to the authorities for acts of terrorism, according to him.

Earlier, Mayor Jacques Gobert had told the Belgian news agency that “a speeding car was thrown into the crowd gathered to attend (the carnival)”.

The group, which consisted of about a hundred people, had just left the sports center to return to the center of town, according to the mayor's office in a statement.

— A lot of people on the ground —

“The car was occupied by two people who were arrested,” Verheyen added, specifying that they were from the same town and were born in 1988 and 1990, respectively.

“I was walking next door,” one witness, Théo, told Belgian public television RTBF.

“I turned around and saw a car heading towards people. He came too fast and didn't slow down. He followed and dragged a 'gille' (as people in disguise are known) 100 meters further”, continued the young man. “There were a lot of people on the ground.”

“Horrible news from Strépy-Bracquegnies,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Twitter.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” added De Croo, who is scheduled to travel to the scene of the incident throughout the day, accompanied by King Philip.

In Belgium, cities and towns organize numerous street parades on the occasion of carnival.

Like the one in Binche, the Strépy-Bracquegnies carnival welcomes participants in disguise, called from early on to participate in the parade.

The mayor of La Louvière said he asked the organizers to cancel the other events of the carnival, the first organized after two years of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In neighboring Germany, on February 24, 2020 in Volkmarsen (west), a man intentionally broke behind the wheel of his vehicle into the crowd at a carnival parade, causing 90 injuries, including children. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in December.

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