When darkness has already fallen in the West Frisian Aartswoud, the ambulances are still neatly lined up in front of the church. A police car blocks the street. “What happened?” asks a motorist who has just come from work.
When she is told what has happened in the past few hours, the surprise is visible on her face. “You can’t be serious? And that’s Aartswoud…”
Farewell interrupted
Earlier in the afternoon the local church fills up for a funeral. The farewell to a beloved resident is immediately interrupted, if several people become unwell during the service. “Probably something to do with carbon monoxide,” says a visitor. The fire brigade indeed suspects that this is the cause of the complaints.
“A woman became unwell,” says a man. “All the church doors were opened so that fresh air could come in. But soon someone became unwell again. Then a young person ran outside, who also felt unwell. After that, everyone from the fire brigade had to leave the church.”
Don’t panic
“There was no panic,” says a woman who is just leaving the café. “Fortunately not. Everyone left the church quietly. It was very well organized and very well supervised. That was very nice.”
To complete the farewell service properly, improvisation took place quickly. First the meeting continued in the cemetery behind the prayer house, then the service continued in the café opposite.
In the meantime, several people were checked by ambulance personnel. Some subsequently joined the remainder of the farewell service, but four people continued to have complaints and were transported to hospital as a precaution. They have all now left the hospital.
Symbolic conclusion
A few more words were spoken in the café opposite. “The deceased played theater in our village for a long time and often performed in this café. The fact that the service was eventually concluded there was also symbolic.”
The visitors look back on an afternoon with a bizarre outcome. “Say that. I have never seen so many ambulances together. And certainly not in Aartswoud.”