BRUSSELS – Six people were killed and 10 seriously injured after a car crashed into people celebrating a Carnival in a small town in southern Belgium early Sunday morning.
Two people in their 30s were arrested at the scene in Strépy-Bracquegnies, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Brussels.
The prosecution said there was no reason to suspect terrorism in the preliminary investigation.
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Some 150 people gathered at dawn to kick off the Carnival celebrations, which had been suspended for the previous two years due to COVID-19.
Instead, Mayor Jacques Gobert said, “what happened was a national catastrophe.”
“A car came from behind, at full speed. There were dozens of injured and unfortunately several people lost their lives,” he added in statements to the RTBF radio station.
The driver and a second person were taken into custody when their car stopped hundreds of meters away.
The prosecution denied reports in the media that the car that had caused the accident had arrived at the scene after a chase with the police.
“What should have been a big party turned into a tragedy,” Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said.
Ever since the terrorist attacks six years ago in Brussels and Zaventem, in which 32 people were killed, the country has been nervous about the possibility of terrorism.
But prosecutor Damien Verheyen stated that “there are no elements in the investigation, for the time being, that lead me to think that the motivation of these two people was terrorism.”
He also denied press reports that a police chase preceded the events.
King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo were scheduled to travel to Strepy later on Sunday.
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Carnival is extremely popular in this region and its version in nearby Binche has even been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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