Car crashes into Belgian gas station; One Dutch killed, two hurt

A Belgian driver crashed into the store of a Texaco gas station on the E40 highway towards Brussels on Monday night. One person was killed and two were seriously injured. According to VRT, all three victims are Dutch.

Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reports that the three Dutch colleagues were drinking coffee in the shop when the car crashed into them. The Dutch person who was killed was a middle aged man, according to the newspaper. His two colleagues were seriously injured, but are in a stable condition.

The car stood at a gas pump and then suddenly took off into the store at high speed. The driver of the car, a 54-year-old man from Oostende in Belgium, was immediately arrested. He was under the influence of alcohol, according to VRT. He sustained only minor injuries. 

"It was like a bomb exploded", an eye witness said to VRT. "I made myself small and saw how racks and other debris flew everywhere. It was disastrous. Only after a few minutes I realized that it was a car. And then I saw the people lying."

Cashiers in the shop are in shock. "I did not understand", one cashier said. "I saw him at the pump and before I knew it I heard a big bang and debris was everywhere. Chaos, panic and disbelief."

The police are looking at surveillance camera footage to see exactly what happened, according to the Telegraaf. They currently assume it was an accident. 

Op de #E40 is aan het #tankstation aan #Drongen een wagen in de shop gereden. https://t.co/WahGJBnely pic.twitter.com/dCKCFzjTPK

— Tetteren (@Tetteren) January 22, 2018