The body of 19-year-old Adam has been found in the Hofstade (Flemish Brabant). The young man had been missing since Tuesday afternoon. Emergency services, teams of divers and a helicopter had been looking for him all day Wednesday. What exactly happened or why the youngster got into trouble is not yet clear.
To escape Tuesday's heat, Adam and his friends had sought out the cooler climes of the Sport Vlaanderen recreational park in Hofstade. ‘Around 4pm his friends saw him last,’ says Sabine Lievens of the public prosecutor's office. ‘When they wanted to leave, 2 hours later, they noticed that his belongings - including mobile phone and wallet - were still on the beach.’
The friends first started searching the grounds themselves but soon raised the alarm. 'Afterwards, a search operation was immediately launched. Two teams of divers arrived at the scene; a helicopter was also deployed to search elsewhere on the property.'
The search Tuesday night did not yield any results, and so it continued Wednesday. Since 10am Wednesday, civil protection officers and marine police continued the search with drones, sonar boats and a helicopter.
Wednesday afternoon, the boy's body was finally recovered from the water. What exactly happened or how the boy got into trouble is still unclear. The forensic technicians and a police doctor attended the scene to determine the cause of death.
Parents do not think son became unwell
Adam's parents were also present at the park during the search. During the day they let it be known that they did not hold out much hope that their son would be found alive. "He doesn't have his backpack with him, which contains all his bank cards, his mobile phone, his shoes and T-shirt. He's not going to take the train like that, is he? That is why we are almost 100 per cent sure he is still in the water," the boy's father said.
"He gets a lot of support but has had some medical problems since birth. His last appointment was two weeks ago because he has a hole in the heart. But that does not cause any problems in his daily life, he lives like everyone else," his father said.
"The next appointment for his heart was only in June 2026, so surely that shows there were no real problems. Otherwise they would have scheduled the appointment much earlier." The parents therefore do not think the boy became unwell.
The recreation park in Hofstade reopens on Thursday. To give staff a chance to process the events, fewer visitors will be allowed in.