Five staff members of Flemish local transport company De Lijn and two police officers were taken to hospital following an assault on a coastal tram in the family-friendly seaside resort of De Haan (West Flanders) yesterday evening. The situation escalated when ticket inspectors attempted to stop passengers without a valid ticket. The individuals involved are believed to be four youngsters from the Brussels conurbation. One person was reportedly detained.
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Five De Lijn staff and two police taken to hospital following serious assault on coastal tram
Colin Clapson
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The violence broke out during a ticket inspection at the Vosseslag stop in De Haan. “Several passengers did not have a valid ticket and tried to run away,” says Ine Pieters of De Lijn.
“When, at around 7.30 pm, ticket inspectors tried to stop them, the situation got out of hand. Four inspectors and one driver had to go to hospital for a check-up,” said Pieters.
Police officers also injured
Two police officers also tried to intervene, but they too were injured. ‘In total, seven people were taken to A&E for a check-up,’ says Stefaan Dierickx of the socialist trade union ACOD-TBM. ‘One of our colleagues from De Lijn spent the night in hospital with knee issues; a second is due to undergo surgery for a broken nose on Tuesday.’
‘I’ve been working at De Lijn for 30 years, but I’ve never experienced anything like this,’ says Dierickx. ‘The peak of the heat had just passed and the beach was gradually emptying. The result: a coastal tram that was quite full. But seven people taken to A&E: as far as I’m concerned, that’s unprecedented.’
Investigation is ongoing
De Lijn has handed over the tram’s CCTV footage to the police for further investigation.