It was an evening that turned tragic this weekend. Around 4:45 a.m., the Antwerp police were called to intervene at the Waagnatie exhibition hall. “Someone, visibly under the influence of drugs, had lost control of himself”, comments Wouter Bruyns of the Antwerp police. “He had undressed, had walked shirtless and lying on the ground. »
The result is a loss of balance and a fatal fall in the Scheldt. Passers-by tried to throw him a lifeline or hit him with a long stick, without success. “Even the intervention of the fire brigade could not save him. “The intervention team was unable to recover the man who drifted, carried away by a strong current and the change of tide, Wouter Bruyns further specified.
“We pulled out all the stops, as always, and deployed a boat and divers in the water, among other things,” says Kristof Geens of the Antwerp area fire department. However, the victim’s body has yet to be found. “There’s a good chance he’s dead. In the case of a drowning in the Scheldt, the first hour is of vital importance,” he adds.
The family and friends of the 30-year-old received a victim support service.