Car crashes into Waal river; at least one killed

A body was removed from the Waal river near Brakel after a serious accident in which a car crashed into the river on Thursday night. It is possible that the accident claimed more lives, a police spokesperson said to De Gelderlander.

The accident happened around 10:50 p.m. A car crashed into the water on Veerdam in Brakel, Gelderland, close to the ferry to Herwijnen. Eyewitnesses saw the car's headlights shine under the water for a moment before they went out. The cause of the accident is still unclear.

Emergency services responded en masse. Several boats and fire brigade divers from Den Bosch and Dordrecht searched for the car. They found it almost two hours later, after midnight. A person was still in the car and was brought to the side by the divers. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate the victim, but it was to no avail. The victim died at the scene.

The police take into account that more people may have died in the accident. Bystanders report seeing a person swimming in the river, before disappearing under water. It is not clear how many people were in the car. Divers searched for other victims for several hours before the search was called off with nothing found.

The police refused to make any further statements to the newspaper.