The morning after the fatal accident, Zeeltstraat is battered. Remnants of fireworks, used firecrackers and a champagne bottle can be found on the street. “You can see that a lot has been chipped away here,” said NH reporter Tom van Midden.
In the dead-end street, which has several backyards leading to it, someone came around 2:15 am 38-year-old man killed. Several emergency services, including an ambulance and an air ambulance, were called. The victim was resuscitated, but to no avail.
Louder bang than usual
Several local residents immediately noticed that something was wrong last night, according to a tour of the neighborhood by the NH reporter. They say that prior to the incident they heard a huge bang. An English-speaking resident, who was already in bed, said he woke up because the bang was ‘louder than usual’. He also noticed how many fireworks were being lit in the street.
Another local resident, whose backyard is directly adjacent to the site of the accident, was also startled awake by a loud bang. At first he couldn’t place the sound and thought it was coming from his own home.
For a moment he even feared that something had happened to his wife, who recently gave birth to a son. Because the victim often threw parties around New Year’s Eve where fireworks were set off, his neighbor did not immediately think of a serious incident.