Hague, Netherlands– Six people have died and seven are in hospital after a truck drove off a cliff and slammed into a barbecue event that was happening in outh of Rotterdam.
Three men and three women were killed, ranging in age from 28 to 75, police said.
Police spokeswoman Mirjam Boers said the truck driver, a 46-year-old Spanish man, is suspected of causing the accident that happened early Saturday evening in the village of Nieuw-Beijerland. His identity was not released yet.
The large truck the man was driving left a small rural road and careered down the bank of the dike and plowed into the village gathering. Police officer Boers said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in a tweet that they were shocked by the accident that they said caused “an unimaginable sadness in this close-knit community. The affected families are in our thoughts and we wish the injured strength on their way to as good a recovery as possible.”
Forensic investigators worked into the night Saturday around the truck where it stopped at the bottom of the dike. Later, a crane and a tow truck hauled it back onto the road.
