One of the occupants of the car that crashed into a group of carnival-goers in southern Belgium early Sunday morning, killing six, had drunk too much alcohol. This is apparent from a breathalyzer, writing Belgian media based on rulings from the local attorney general. It has not yet been announced which of the two occupants had had too much to drink – the driver or the co-driver. On Sunday, the Belgian public prosecutor already confirmed that the two thirty-somethings who were in the car returned from a disco that morning.
The collision took place in the Walloon village of Strépy-Bracquegnies, where the local carnival group Les Boute and Train staged a parade on Sunday. Because the association was just going from door to door to pick up people, there were many people on their feet, about 150 to 200. Six people, including one child, died. Ten others were seriously injured, 26 others slightly injured. The two occupants of the car have been arrested. Authorities have previously said there is no indication of a terrorist act.
Eyewitnesses say to Belgian media that the driver did not brake, and that he turned the car after entering, only to hit people again. According to the chief of police for the region, it is “for the time being impossible to determine whether or not the vehicle has braked”. writes The standard.
On Monday, the deputy attorney general of the public prosecutor’s office of Mons told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF that “one of the two occupants was already convicted in 2017 for drink-driving”.