THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The death toll from a truck crash in the Netherlands rose to seven Wednesday as local authorities said an unborn child was also killed when the vehicle drove off a dike and slammed into a neighborhood barbecue over the weekend..
“The loss is immeasurable and the grief immense,” local mayor Charlie Aptroot said in a statement. “So far, we have talked of six deaths, including 1 heavily pregnant woman. In consultation with the relatives, we have decided from now on to talk about seven deaths, including one unborn child.”
Police initially said that three men and three women were killed, ranging in age from 28 to 75 in the crash. A further seven people were hospitalized, one of them in critical condition.
The driver of the truck, a 46-year-old Spanish man, was taken into custody by police on suspicion of causing the crash that happened Saturday evening in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland, just south of the port city of Rotterdam. His identity wasn’t released, in line with Dutch privacy laws.
His truck careered down the side of a dike and into the midst of a barbecue attended by dozens of people from the close-knit local community. Police are investigating the exact cause of the crash.
Aptroot said the community was in deep mourning and he opened a condolence book at two local town halls and online.
“Let’s hold each other and be there for each other,” he said.
