Six killed as car drives into carnival crowd in southern Belgium — authorities
Six people have been killed in Belgium after a car drove into a crowd gathering to take part in a carnival on Sunday morning in the town of La Louvière, authorities said.
Around 20 people are said to have been injured.
The circumstances are unclear but the incident has been described as an accident. Belgian media reports say a terrorist motive is not being considered at this stage.
"A car travelling at high speed drove into the crowd that had gathered to attend (the carnival)," Jacques Gobert, the mayor of the southern Belgian city told the Belga news agency.
The incident happened around 0500 CET (0400 GMT) in Strepy-Bracquegnies, a village which is part of the industrial town of La Louvière, the authorities said.
An earlier estimated tally of four dead was raised to six after 1100 CET.
According to a press release from the mayor's office, a group of about a hundred people had just left a hall heading for the centre of the village when a vehicle drove into the crowd.
"What was supposed to be a convivial party has turned into a tragedy. We are monitoring the situation closely," tweeted Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden. "My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died and were injured in the incident that occurred this morning in Strépy."
The prosecutor's office is due to speak later today, the statement added.
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