A car drove into a carnival crowd in the Walloon town of Louviere on Sunday morning, killing six and injuring more than thirty, announced the town's mayor, Jacques Gobert.

A crowd of about 150 people gathered in the Walloon village south of Brussels for the annual parade, which features a variety of costumes and drums.

German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that children were among the dead, and 12 were seriously injured.

It is not yet known whether the trampling was intentional.

The Belgian daily Le Soir reports that the car, in which two young men were sitting, drove into the crowd at high speed.

According to the Independent, the driver tried to drive away from the scene, but was apprehended by the arriving police. Gobert told local radio station RTBF that the tramper had been caught.

The local sports hall was converted into an emergency center for quick medical and police assistance.

The mayor of the city stated that an emergency plan was created, the city sports hall was made available to the affected families, and the victim support service was also activated. The investigative authorities of the nearby town of Mons have already arrived at the scene of the crime, and the prosecutor's office will make a statement about what happened during the day.

Regarding the circumstances of the tragedy, the news is spreading in the Belgian press that the car was being chased by the police. In this regard, Mayor Jaques Gobert said that it is not possible to know exactly for now, only details will be revealed during the investigation.

It is possible that it is an act with a terrorist background. The carnival continues despite what happened, wrote Le Soir.

Source: hirado.hu

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