Published: 19:49, 27 August 2022 | Updated: 21:03, 27 August 2022
Three people were killed in the Netherlands after a truck crashed into a neighbourhood barbeque near Rotterdam.
‘The cargo truck drove into a group of people while they were at a neighbourhood barbeque,’ Rotterdam police said on their Twitter account. ‘There are several dead and several others have been taken to the hospital.’
Police said they were investigating what caused the truck to leave the road in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland just south of Rotterdam and career down the side of a dike at around 7pm.
Those injured were attending a barbecue at the local ice club IJsclub de Kom about 18 miles south of Rotterdam when the truck veered off the road on the narrow Zuidzijdsedijk and crashed into the gathering.
Others have been taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries, reported the Dutch media.
The accident in the Netherlands comes a day after a van driver ploughed into a crowded cafe terrace in central Brussels, wounding six people.
The group was hosting an annual party, according to De Telegraaf , when the truck sped towards them
The driver, said to be in shock, is being interrogated by police
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police are pictured at the scene
Overturned picnic tables and wreckage from the scene was pictured at the event
Pictures published on local media websites showed a heavy truck from a Spanish transport company at the bottom of a small dyke.
The driver, said to be in shock, is being interrogated by police. It is not known at this time why he drove into the gathering.
Overturned picnic tables and wreckage from the scene was pictured at the event.
The group was hosting an annual party, according to De Telegraaf, when the truck sped towards them.
A large number of ambulances are on site and several trauma helicopters have been deployed. Authorities are also organising for a crane to remove the truck.
The deputy mayor of the municipality of Hoeksche Waard is present on location, according to the local broadcaster. Nieuw-Beijerland is part of this municipality.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police are reportedly acting on the assumption that the crash was an accident.
This is a developing news story.
