At least four people have been killed in Strépy-Bracquegnies, Belgium, after a car rammed into people who were preparing for a carnival celebration. Mayor Jacques Gobert of La Louvière, which includes the Walloon town of Strépy-Bracquegnies, informed the Belga news agency on Sunday morning. Twelve people were seriously injured and twenty slightly injured. The driver of the car has been arrested and a municipal emergency plan has been announced.
It is not clear why the car crashed into the group of upcoming carnival celebrants. The mayor initially reported that it was a police chase, but the police subsequently denied this. A press conference will be held at 11 a.m. at the town hall of La Louvière, at which the authorities will share further information about what happened.
The Belgian news site RTL Info reports that the vehicle smashed into a crowd of about 150 people around 5 a.m. Sunday morning. The group is said to have been on the street going door to door waking people up for the carnival parade. The three-day carnival party will continue with an adjusted program for the time being.