2022 Strépy-Bracquegnies car crash

In the morning of 20 March 2022, a motorist drove a car through a crowd celebrating Carnival in Strépy-Bracquegnies, La Louvière, Belgium. Six people were killed and around 40 were wounded, with ten of the wounded people having very serious or even potentially fatal injuries.^[1]

A crowd of 150–200 people were parading towards the centre of the village,^[2] dressed up in costumes in celebration of Carnival when the car collided with the crowd in the rue des Canadiens.^[3] A TV presenter said that the vehicle "deliberately entered" the crowd, killing several people.^[4] After crashing into the crowd, the car, which was carrying two people, sped off from the scene; later being stopped by police.^[5]

Six people in total were killed, including Frédéric d'Andrea, a steward for the RAAL La Louvière football club.^[6][7]

Police denied early reports that the vehicle had been engaging in a "high-speed chase" at the time. While a terrorist motive was ruled out, whether or not it was intentional was at first unclear.^[8]

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said he was shocked by the incident and responded to it as "horrible news",^[1] and travelled to the village with Philippe of Belgium that day. French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his sorrow and expressed empathy to Belgium.^[6]

The driver was charged with manslaughter a few days later. He confessed he had exceeded the speed limit when the crash occurred, and insisted that what had happened was an accident.^[9] Investigation indicated that the driver had been going 160 km/h while under the influence and using his mobile phone.^[10] The case came to trial in Mons in April 2026.^[11]