An 87-year-old man has died after crashing his car into the front of a supermarket in Ekeren, near Antwerp. The cause of the accident is not yet clear although the pensioner may have become unwell at the wheel of his vehicle prior to the crash.
Antwerp
Pensioner dies after crashing his car into the front of a supermarket
Published:
The accident happened at around 11 am on Wednesday outside a branch of the Colruyt supermarket chain on Kloosterstraat in Ekeren, a district in north of Antwerp.
Wouter Bruyns of the Antwerp Local Police Service told VRT News that "The emergency services immediately arrived on the scene and bystanders helped the victim out of the car. The medical services resuscitated the man at the scene, but were unable to save him."
It is not yet clear how the accident happened. "With accidents like this it is often the case that the driver had become unwell. Whether that is also the case here remains to be seen. We will know once we have been able to hear statements from witnesses and have further investigated other matters", Mr Bruyns said.
The front of the supermarket was badly damaged. "Immediately after the accident, the store was evacuated. Currently under examination is whether the store should remain closed for a longer period of time, or it can reopen again quickly. For the time being, there is no threat to the stability of the building".