Police said the accident happened on Saturday night in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland, Zuid-Holland. Local reports add that authorities have taken the driver of the vehicle, who was not injured during the crash, into custody for further questioning. Police spokeswoman Mirjam Boers said the 46-year-old truck driver, a Spaniard, was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The truck was driving on a small rural road when the vehicle suddenly went down an embankment and crashed into a village gathering, trapping several people underneath. The NL Times reported that the accident has deeply affected the community, where “many of the attendees know each other.” It was reported that local authorities deployed several ambulances and helicopters to the scene of the tragedy. The mayor of Hoeksche Waard in western Holland, Charlie Aptroot, spoke to the victims’ family. He told the media that family members and neighbors in the “tight-knit community” were devastated. “Our biggest concern is with the people involved,” he said.
