2023-07-17 15:03:45
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, a young man from Brussels died, following a drowning in the North Sea, in Ostend.
The mayor of Ostend, Bart Tommelein, reacted to Sudinfo: “We are very sad, and it is never pleasant to know that this kind of thing happens in our municipality”, he confides. He also indicated that “this type of problem often arises with Francophones”, before specifying that “it is not at all a question of language. Everyone is welcome in Ostend”.
The tragedy occurred around 7:30 p.m., when swimming was prohibited.
“Ostende beach is the easiest to reach by train from Brussels and Wallonia. But it is also the most dangerous on the Belgian coast,” explains Bart Tommelein. “The problem is that they are not sufficiently informed regarding the dangers of the sea”, explains the mayor.
According to him, the people of the region, who frequent the beach of Ostend, know the dangers and respect the prohibitions but this is not always the case for tourists from Brussels and Wallonia. “Some don’t know how to swim and still go into the sea, others go when the lifeguards are no longer there, when it’s forbidden. Regulars don’t do that.”
See also A 20-year-old man from Brussels dies following being in difficulty in the North Sea
To avoid this kind of drama, Bart Tommelein would like the elected representatives of Brussels and Wallonia to make the population more aware of the dangers of the sea.
For his part, Bart Tommelein will further strengthen the signage around the beach in Ostend, “But we need collaboration with Brussels and Wallonia for it to be effective”. In particular, he expressed this desire to Rudi Vervoort and Elio Di Rupo, so that measures might be put in place to raise awareness among visitors.
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