Police: 2 confirmed dead after truck drives into barbecue

August 27, 2022 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A truck drove off a Dutch dike and slammed into a neighborhood barbecue in a village Saturday evening, and police said two people were confirmed killed and multiple people were injured.

Police were trying to determine why the truck left the road in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland just south of Rotterdam and careered down the side of a dike.

They said in a statement said that the driver, a 46-year-old man from Spain, was arrested as part of the investigation and taken to a police station.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. “For the time being, we are keeping all scenarios about the facts open,” the police statement said.

Photos of the scene showed bunting hanging between trees and chairs scattered around trestle tables.

Police worked into the night around the truck before a crane and a tow truck hauled it back onto the road.

Local Mayor Charlie Aptroot visited the scene Saturday night.

“My condolences go out to the victims, their families, eyewitnesses and first responders,” he said in a statement.

He added that he had spoken to many of the people at the scene and expressed “appreciation for the way in which people are there for each other.”