A 25-year-old man is dead following a stabbing incident in the West Flemish seaside resort of Ostend last night. The stabbing happened near the Kursaal. The circumstances are not yet clear.
According to witnesses, several men got into an argument near a hotel near the Kursaal, around 9 pm. One of the men is said to have drawn a knife and then started lashing out with it.
A 25-year-old man from Ostend was injured in the abdomen. He was reportedly still able to cross the street, but then fell to the ground. He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries.
Police immediately closed off the entire neighbourhood, but there was no trace of the perpetrators. An examining magistrate is in charge of the case. A police doctor has also been appointed. ‘The investigation is ongoing’ says Griet De Prest of the West Flemish public prosecutor's office.
Friends and family of the victim gather at hospital
Shortly after news of the stabbing broke, there was quite a commotion at the hospital where the victim died, when friends and relatives of the victim gathered there.
‘A doctor came out to give them the bad news' says the prosecutor's spokeswoman. 'Relatives then took leave of the victim. They are now receiving support’.