Grandpa (73) and granddaughter (10) Criticism After the car ends up in the water in Bruges, grandson (13) can free himself (Bruges)

The emergency services were called on Friday afternoon around 1.40 pm for an accident on the Warandebrug in Bruges. According to witnesses, a driver ignored a barrier, after which the vehicle moved into the Brugse Ringvaart. « The emergency services were on the spot quite quickly and could eventually bring all passengers to dry, » says Lien Depoorter, spokesperson for Police Bruges.

It would be a grandfather with two grandchildren. « The oldest grandson was able to free himself from the vehicle and was taken out of the water by bystanders, » says Mayor Dirk De Fauw (CD&V). « The grandfather and granddaughter were taken out of the vehicle by the fire brigade and were resuscitated and taken to the hospital on the spot. »

The emergency services were en masse on site for a while. A team of divers immediately went into the water to save the occupants. Around 3 pm the car – when the grandfather and a grandchild were out of the water – could be removed from the water with a tap.

The public prosecutor of West Flanders was informed, but will not send a traffic expert on site. « In the meantime, the first findings have shown that the Warandebrug was open, » says the public prosecutor’s office. « The barrier was down, but the driver would have driven on. »

For the time being it remains unclear why the grandfather ignored the barriers. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

The police have closed the Warandebrug to traffic. A perimeter has also been set and the environment can be avoided. The ring along the bridge remains accessible. The Komvest is closed from the Leopold 2-Laan.