In the town hall of La Louvière, from 11 a.m. today, there is a register of mourning for the victims of the drama that took place at the Strépy carnival yesterday. There, a car drove into a large group of carnivalists, resulting in six deaths and many injuries.
It was mayor Jacques Gobert of La Louvière who announced the news on ‘La Première’ (RTBF).
In addition to the six dead, ten were seriously injured and about twenty were slightly injured. Psychological help is offered to the entire population and in particular to city staff. Many of the victims worked for the city government.
moments of reflection
It is also discussed with the organizers of the upcoming carnival celebrations in the region whether there can be moments of reflection. According to Gobert, a national minute of silence can also be declared.
The mayor was also asked in ‘La Première’ whether there should be no extra speed bumps in his city. However, he replied that there were already quite a few and that the centers of the city and boroughs were “completely safe” for the carnival. The so-called “ramassage”, in which carnivalists are picked up at home, is, according to him, by definition a more spontaneous activity and more difficult to secure.
“We’ll look at it objectively, but this is a neighborhood folklore, a tradition,” he said. “By the way, whatever we do, drivers who get behind the wheel under the influence will always cause accidents and will not care about such speed limiting measures.”
impunity
Remarkable: the mayor also called on the judiciary “not to give the population the feeling that there was impunity among the perpetrators” by handing out an “ill-adjusted punishment”. “There’s a lot of anger, a desire for retaliation, the emotions are running high,” he noted.
Images show black BMW moments before driving into carnival group
RECONSTRUCTION. In a split second, the carnival procession became a battlefield: “The driver increased his speed after the first blow” (+)
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