Belgium: Six dead as car hits carnival crowd

Red Gold · Mar 20, 2022

Belgium: Six dead as car hits carnival crowd

No news of any kind why this happened and who those two persons in the car planned - or whatever.

Does the police not know - or do they not want to tell yet?

The vehicle drove into a crowd of people waiting to attend carnival in the town of Strépy-Bracquegnies, killing six people.

More:

Belgium: Six dead as car hits carnival crowd | DW | 20.03.2022

Red Gold · Mar 20, 2022

I wonder when we will learn why this tragedy happened

Red Gold · Mar 20, 2022

At least six people have been killed after a car drove into a crowd of carnival-goers in southern Belgium.

The incident happened in the small town of Strépy-Bracquegnies, about 30 miles (50km) south of the capital Brussels.

The car drove at high-speed into dozens of people who were preparing to take part in a traditional parade on Sunday morning.

Around 40 people were injured and several are in a serious condition, the town's mayor said.

"There were about 150-200 people who were following the parade and [the] car arrived from behind and drove into the crowd," Jacques Gobert said.

Six killed after car drives into crowd in Belgium

If this is NOT terrorism, as the police claims, what is it then?
Some kind of bad joke - and nothing more to worry about - or what?

Red Gold · Mar 20, 2022

Maybe we will know more about it tomorrow.

Red Gold · Mar 20, 2022

It is near midnight here now.
Let's wait for tomorrow.

Red Gold · Mar 21, 2022

No real new this:

As a group of carnival-goers were marching towards the town center, "a car came from the back at high speed and crashed into group, pulverized a large number of people, continuing its way before stopping a little further down," La Louvière mayor Jacques Gobert told reporters.

The two men who were in the car, both from La Louvière and born in 1988 and 1990, were arrested, Verheyen said. He added that a "reconstruction of the facts" will be held in order to establish the exact route of the vehicle and any potential motive.
The incident happened at 5 a.m. local time. Strépy-Bracquegnies is located 30 miles (50km) south of Brussels.
There was no evidence that a chase with police led to the incident, officers said, contrary to earlier reports. They also said as yet "no elements" showed that the incident "could be considered as a terrorist attack."

Belgium carnival crash: Six people killed after car plows into crowd - CNN

What I wonder is: No mentioning of any motive.

Did those two men not say anything?

Or did they say: "We will not say anthing, as our lawyer has instructed us ...."

Sarah G · Mar 21, 2022

Sky news is reporting that they weren't being chased by police and no terrorist motive. Maybe they were joyriding and didn't expect 150 people to be walking in a row at 5:00 (5 in the morning) which is an unusual circumstance (annual maybe in that particular place?). Maybe a terrible, horrific accident. It's just awful.

Red Gold · Mar 21, 2022

Sarah G said:
Maybe they were joyriding and didn't expect 150 people to be walking in a row at 5:00 (5 in the morning) which is an unusual circumstance (annual maybe in that particular place?).

Yes, that could be an explanation, but no excuse.

JosephZ · Mar 21, 2022

Investigators said the suspects were born in 1988 and 1990 and came from La Louviere, a town near the French border in Belgium's rust belt. They were not known to the authorities for similar acts.

Chief prosecutor Christian Henry said the two were coming from a nightclub "and had just dropped off another person just before the events".

Blood test results were expected on Monday and "will allow us to say if they have consumed drugs", he told RTBF news.

"Nothing goes in the direction of radicalism or extremism," he said.

Red Gold · Mar 21, 2022

JosephZ said:
Blood test results were expected on Monday and "will allow us to say if they have consumed drugs", he told RTBF news.

Here it is Monday evening now.

Sarah G · Mar 21, 2022

I agree there's surprisingly little in the news about it, even the Belgian news. If this is the car then maybe they're rich and have top lawyers, maybe with the names Paulo and Nino they're mafia, who knows?

It's all very strange, everything is lately!

"Drama in Strépy: luxueuze wagen, maar “technisch is er nog geen automatisch remsysteem dat dit had kunnen tegenhouden” | Carnavalsdrama Strépy | hln.be" DPG Media Privacy Gate

Red Gold · Mar 21, 2022

Sarah G said:
I agree there's surprisingly little in the news about it, even the Belgian news. If this is the car then maybe they're rich and have top lawyers, maybe with the names Paulo and Nino they're mafia, who knows?

It's all very strange, everything is lately!

It really is!
There is a dead silence now in the news.
Just as if nothing had happened.
Nothing to comment about.
Just nothing.
As if no journalist dared to write anything about it.

Red Gold · Mar 22, 2022

Still no new news?

Sarah G · Mar 22, 2022

Red Gold said:
Still no new news?

Nothing in my feeds in either English or Dutch, radio silence.

Red Gold · Mar 22, 2022

Really strange.
No news whatsoever who those to drivers were.
They must be known quite well by now and also their backgrounds.

Maybe they told the police: "We will say nothing without our lawyers!"
But even then that might be worth reporting.

Maybe it is a case of: "The criminals are worth more protection than their victims!"

Red Gold · Mar 22, 2022

Sarah G said:
Nothing in my feeds in either English or Dutch, radio silence.

In German we have the expression: "eine Verschwörung des Schweigens" = a conspiracy of silence
Maybe it is such a case.

A kind of "Omerta" where both the authorities and the media take part.

Sarah G · Mar 22, 2022

Red Gold said:
Really strange.
No news whatsoever who those to drivers were.
They must be known quite well by now and also their backgrounds.

Maybe they told the police: "We will say nothing without our lawyers!"
But even then that might be worth reporting.

Maybe it is a case of: "The criminals are worth more protection than their victims!"

Maybe they're cops or have diplomatic immunity. They could be well connected family wise. Must be something and we may never know (but should keep looking).

JosephZ · Mar 22, 2022

Red Gold said:
Still no new news?

Two days after the tragedy that killed six people and injured a dozen in Strépy-Bracquegnies (Hainaut), the two occupants of the car that drove into the crowd were charged, not with murder, as the facts had been qualified in a first time, but for manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm resulting in death without intention to give it...

Only the driver, Paolo F., from the Louviéroise entity, was placed under an arrest warrant.

The passenger in the car was released. He is charged with failing to assist a person in danger. His lawyer had indicated on Monday that he was "sleeping" at the time of the tragedy.
Inculpé pour homicide involontaire, le chauffard de Strépy-Bracquegnies a été emprisonné, son passager libéré sous conditions

"At this stage, the investigation revealed that the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed and braked before the impact," said Damien Verheyen, deputy public prosecutor. The driver indicated during his hearings to drive at 90 km / h, while the speed is limited to 50 km / h in the rue des Canadiens, where the accident took place. The investigators were notably able to base themselves on images from surveillance cameras on which we see that the vehicle's brake lights come on before the impact with the group of people who were walking around during the pick-up.

The driver also presents himself on social networks as a speed enthusiast. "When the judge must indicate the sanction, he will take into account everything that is in the file, including extracts from social networks published in the press", specified the prosecutor of the King of Mons.

The prosecution also confirms that "the tests carried out on Sunday by the police revealed the driver had an alcohol level of 0.29 mg per liter of exhaled alveolar air, which constitutes a slight overrun of the authorized limit." The saliva test to determine the possible presence of narcotics proved negative, but "it will however be necessary to wait several days before receiving the results of the complete blood tests which will make it possible to definitively establish whether or not the driver had consumed narcotics. "
Drame de Strépy-Bracquegnies: le conducteur a "freiné très fort"

Sarah G · Mar 22, 2022

Well, that's very informative. I hadn't considered sleeping at the wheel.
What an horrific tragedy.

Red Gold · Mar 22, 2022

From what I heard on the radio today it was an extreme case of drunken driving.

Belgium: Six dead as car hits carnival crowd

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