In a tragic accident just across the border in Zeeland-Flanders, the Netherlands, three schoolchildren and a supervisor were killed on Thursday while they were on their bicycle to a school camp. This is what we know so far.
Source: AD.nl
The tragedy took place on Thursday near the village of Vogelwaarde. The driver of a gray BMW was driving on the N290, a provincial road with a separate cycle path next to it. In the bend, the car left the road and crashed into a group of cyclists, consisting of fourteen children and two supervisors from the sixth year of a primary school in Axel, a sub-municipality of Terneuzen. They were at school camp.
It was immediately clear that the situation was very serious. In addition to seven ambulances, three trauma helicopters were also called to transport victims to hospital. Fire engines, a rescue vehicle and the police helicopter also arrived on the scene.
Trauma helicopter
Two children and a supervisor died on the spot from their injuries. Four children were taken to hospital with serious injuries. They were flown by helicopter to various hospitals, also in our country. This concerns the Ghent University Hospital, the Antwerp University Hospital and the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.
Around 7 p.m., the Zeeland Safety Region announced that the child who had been flown to Rotterdam had died. This brings the total number of deaths to four: three children and the supervisor.
Cause
Nothing is yet known about the cause of the tragic incident. The police report that a 19-year-old suspect from Hulst has been arrested. It has not been revealed whether he was the driver of the car.
The students were in group 8 – the sixth year – of De Warande, a Protestant Christian primary school on the outskirts of Axel. The director of the school said in a response that the school is in shock. “It is a school that has been around for a long time, with a very close-knit team and very involved parents. We notice that immediately. From the lowest classes to the highest: everyone is completely upset.”
Comments
There are shocked reactions to the accident from all over the country. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten reacted negatively to the accident. On X, Jetten says that “the horrible news from Zeeland today overshadows everything”.
The Zeeland municipality of Terneuzen also says it is “extremely shocked” and sympathizes with everyone involved and their loved ones.
“What should have been a beautiful school camp ends in a drama,” Dutch State Secretary for Education and Emancipation Judith Tielen said in a response to X. “My thoughts are with the relatives, family, friends and classmates of the victims and employees of the school.”
