According to the fire brigade and the public prosecutor’s office, it concerns a 70-year-old man from Koksijde. He may not have seen the water because of the fog, it is said. “This is one of the most popular cycle paths in the region. Normally we have few accidents like this,” says Mayor of Oudenburg Anthony Dumarey.
The man’s bicycle has not yet been found. The shipping police are investigating the precise circumstances. “The water temperature of the canal is now so cold that a drowning person quickly becomes hypothermic. Divers from the fire brigade remained on site for a long time.”