Vogelwaarde, 12 June 2026
A car drove into a group of cycling primary school children near the town of Vogelwaarde in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland, killing three children and one adult, Dutch police said.
According to police, the group of 14 students and two accompanying adults from a primary school in Axel was on its way to a school leisure activity when the vehicle struck them on a bike path. Broadcaster NOS reported that the car continued straight through a curve and hit the school group. The injured were transported to hospitals in Ghent, Antwerp, and Rotterdam.
Three people initially succumbed to their injuries at the scene. A fourth seriously injured child later died in hospital, raising the total number of fatalities to four. Four other children were seriously injured, police said, adding that the condition of the injured was not being disclosed.
Emergency response and witness appeal
Police spokesperson Mariska Bezemer described the event as a 'very violent traffic accident' and called it a deeply moving and particularly sad event, as reported by the 'Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant'. She said specialists are currently investigating the circumstances of the accident, and appealed for witnesses to share observations about the crash or any suspicious activity in the area.