Traffic crash leaves two dead on Nijmegen highway

Two people were killed on Wednesday when a passenger car and a semi-truck collided on the A73 motorway in Nijmegen. The incident happened just before noon in the northbound lanes near the Nijmegen-Dukenburg exit.

The cause of the accident was under investigation. Emergency services were called to the scene just after 11:55 p.m. Dispatchers sent police, paramedics, and firefighters to the scene.

At least two ambulances arrived at the location. A medical trauma team traveling by helicopter also landed on the A73. "The police will investigate the circumstances of the accident," said infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat.

Despite the temperature reaching 30 degrees Celsius, and rising even higher on the roadway, a five-kilometer stretch of highway was closed to traffic. Between the police operation and the roadwork needed, the closure lasted for over four hours.

The vehicles that were stopped in-between exits before the crash were eventually allowed to slowly pass the accident site about 90 minutes later. Traffic backed up behind the shutdown for about ten kilometers. Those drivers also had to contend with a similar amount of additional travel time.

All vehicles involved in the crash were recovered by about 3:30 p.m. The highway was reopened about an hour later, Rijkswaterstaat said. The response to the crash also led to heavier traffic on the A2, A50 and A67.