“Multiple” victims after car strikes cyclists in Zeeland; Several children hurt
Multiple people, including children, were injured on Thursday afternoon after a car collided with bicyclists on the N290 near Vogelwaarde in Zeeland. Authorities said it is still unclear how many people were injured and the severity of their injuries. The cause of the crash was under investigation, police said.
Officials confirmed that children were among those involved but provided no further details on their condition. The injured have been transported to Ghent University Hospital, Antwerp University Hospital, and Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.
Photos from the scene showed a great deal of emergency personnel blocking off the two-lane road to acces victims at the bike path alongside the southern side of the road. Rescue workers could be seen on the verge and in the ditch just past the two-lane bike path.
Three medical trauma teams were sent to the scene by helicopter shortly after the incident early afternoon, along with at least seven ambulances on the ground. Police and firefighters were also dispatched to the scene east of the Rapenburg intersection, along with a fire department crew specialized in handling the rescue of people in complex emergencies.
“At this moment, we are busy providing assistance and caring for the injured. It is not yet clear how many people are injured, nor the nature of their injuries. Children were also involved in the accident,” said the Zeeland regional emergency services office, Zeeland Veilig, in a statement.
Records show the incident was reported to emergency services before 12:30 p.m. on the N290. The incident was quickly scaled up to a Grip 1 regional incident, and then by 1:15 p.m. the regional alarm was escalated further to a Grip 2, Zeeland Veilig confirmed.
“We have scaled up to GRIP 2. This means that we can coordinate better with the police, ambulance, civil care (municipality), and fire department. Therefore, a Regional Operational Team (ROT) is convening at the Zeeland Region Emergency Services office in Middelburg,” said Zeeland Veilig in a statement.
“The police are launching an investigation into the incident,” Zeeland Veilig confirmed. Anyone with “relevant information” or who witnessed something suspicious or unusual in the area around the time of the collision should contact authorities, they continued.
The Grip 1 protocol is activated when an emergency response includes workers from multiple departments, often also from various regions. They are then organized under a single incident commander. The Grip 2 is activated when an incident affects a wider area, and requires a team to coordinate support services and advice. They typically gather at a designated location to assist in crisis management and communicate with the relevant municipal teams.
The N290 provincial road is closed in both directions near Vogelwaarde due to the collision, with authorities blocking access so emergency services can work safely at the scene.
Fire services deployed multiple vehicles, including two tank fire engines, a ladder truck, and a specialized rescue unit, alongside police and ambulance teams.
