Storm Pia Causes Christmas Market Disaster in Belgium: Investigation Underway

2023-12-21 19:48:00

This Thursday, Belgium was swept by storm Pia. Could it be the winds that caused the disaster that occurred in Oudenaarde at 7 p.m. this evening? It’s still too early to tell, but the fact remains that a decorated tree collapsed on the crowd, in the middle of the Christmas market.

Het Laatste Nieuws and several Flemish media relay the information and even broadcast filmed images of the accident (to discover here). According to an initial report, there were three injured, including one serious. This is a woman who had to be resuscitated. Most of the stands were of course closed and the city mayor, Marnic De Meulemeester (Open VLD), visited the site.

The investigation must now determine the real reasons for the accident. But according to HLN, the tree, which measures 20 meters high and weighs nearly 5 tonnes, had twisted slightly a few weeks ago and had already had to be straightened by the technical services.

Questioned Thursday evening, the mayor, for his part, mentioned a strong gust of wind mixed with heavy rain to explain this dramatic incident.

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