An eyewitness reportedly saw the truck driving straight through the tent at the neighborhood party. Police said several people were killed and injured in the accident.
Status has been updated.
Police in Rotterdam wrote on Twitter that several people died after a truck crashed into a party in the neighbourhood.
According to him, three ambulance helicopters are at the site M newspaper. Many people will also be taken to hospital.
wrote earlier Dutch broadcaster NOS At least three people have been confirmed dead. Other media reports said at least two people were killed. Police do not currently have a picture of the exact number of victims, NOS writes.
The driver was arrested, they wrote as well.
– The police are working to investigate the cause of the accident, the police wrote. They also wrote that several emergency services were present at the scene.
The circumstances of the accident are not clear, but the TV station NOS I refer to it as an accident.
Then the truck goes straight to the party
A neighborhood party in the small settlement of Zuidzijdsedijk in Nieuw-Beijerland south of Rotterdam is said to have been an annual event.
Dutch media wrote that there were many eyewitnesses to the accident. Among them is Johann Van Driel. He said what he saw:
– We enjoyed ourselves and grilled, and saw the truck parked at the intersection. Then he walked straight through the tent. It was awful. Several people were dragged. At such a moment, everything breaks through you. The incomprehensible deficit, Driel tells the newspaper.
According to another witness the newspaper spoke to, complete chaos broke out.
– People were crying and police officers were running, she says.
– What was supposed to be a party ended up in a big drama.
Awesome drama
A woman told AD she carried two injured children in her arms.
– We also saw a woman lying in the garden. It’s a horrific drama. Everyone knows each other here.
There is serious damage visible at the site, including picnic tables that have been brought down.
A fence was erected around the truck and, according to the newspaper, must have a Spanish registration number. Dutch police have not confirmed this yet.
On-site investigation
At 21:14, the police in Rotterdam wrote on Twitter that they had started a forensic investigation.
At first, investigators will search the place, then the truck will be lifted and detained for investigation.
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