A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy have been killed in an accident during the Condroz Rally. A rally car ran off the track and ended up in a group of spectators. There were also injuries. According to the organization, they were located in a forbidden zone of the course. However, according to the public prosecutor of Liège, that is not yet clear. “The two went to a house in the street where they knew the residents and died instantly.”
The drama happened on Sunday shortly before 3.30 pm in the rue Alphonse Nicolas, between Bas-Oha and Wanzoul. On a straight stretch of road, car number 22, with drivers Emeric Rary and Fabrice Henry, went off the road.
Several spectators were knocked over by the car. In addition to the two fatalities, several others were injured. The Liège public prosecutor’s office says it is “an unprecedented number”. They are not in mortal danger.
The driver and co-driver of the rally car were taken to hospital with no serious injuries. The police have yet to question them, but the two had not been drinking.
Forbidden zone
The victims are an 18-year-old boy from Huy and a 16-year-old girl from Hannut. According to the prosecutor’s office, they went to a house in the street of which they knew the residents at the time of the facts and died instantly.
At the same location all afternoon was a group of noisy young people who were repeatedly remarked by the organization and also asked to leave the place because it was dangerous. The two fatalities were probably not part of that group, the prosecutor said in a press release. It is not clear whether the pair were in a restricted zone of the course or not.
A law doctor, car expert and the public prosecutor have descended to the scene of the accident. According to the first findings, the car ran off the road due to slippery water.
Car hit a small wall
“The car hit a small wall, landed on its side and hit a group of spectators who were in a forbidden zone for the public,” the organizers said shortly after the accident. “Despite the rapid response of the emergency services, two people were killed and a third person and a crew member were taken to hospital for a check-up. Their lives are not in danger.” In that press release, the organization expresses its condolences to the relatives.
Fleming Martijn Berkhout was nearby when the accident happened. He also saw many spectators standing in the forbidden zone: “They were urged several times to leave the place, but they just stayed”, Berkhout says in the video below.
The Condroz Rally is a rally in the Belgian region of the Condroz. The rally center is located in the city of Huy. The competition was first organized in 1974 and usually takes place in early November. The Condroz Rally is the penultimate race of the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship this year.
Won by Rus
The Russian Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) won the Condroz Rally. Cédric Cherain (Porsche 997 GT3) surprisingly finished second to Adrian Fernémont (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo), who made a mistake in the last stage under pressure from Cherain and had to settle for third place. Brand new champion Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën C3 Rally2) gave up the moment he was in the lead.
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