2023-07-11 19:48:00
A terrible accident occurred this Tuesday morning, just outside Comines. Sounds of explosions were heard and impressive black smoke hovered over part of the entity.
Around 8:30 a.m., a truck and a van collided at the so-called “Four Kings” crossroads, on Flemish territory, in Heuvelland.
The van hit the tank of the truck. The two vehicles quickly caught fire and the fire spread to homes on the edge of the intersection. Several houses were affected by the flames. Two houses were completely burnt down while two others were heavily damaged.
Significant emergency resources were deployed on the spot. The Flemish firefighters in the Westhoek area were able to count on the reinforcements of the teams from Comines and Evregnies.
The driver of the delivery service van, a Portuguese, died at the scene. The driver of the truck, seriously injured and burned, originally from Comines, had been transferred to UZ Gent. The West Flanders prosecutor’s office announced at the end of the day that the victim finally succumbed to his injuries. Laurent Boterman, 46, lived in Warneton and was a truck driver for a Moorslede company, Transport H Essers Verstraete.
A resident was slightly injured and was treated on the spot.
As for the ten or so inhabitants affected, they were taken care of materially and psychologically and have been rehoused.
Faced with the fumes of hydrocarbons and house fires which were heading towards Bas-Warneton/Comines/Houthem, the Commune of Comines-Warneton had asked its citizens to close the doors, windows and ventilations. At the beginning of the afternoon, the alert was lifted, and the firefighters confirmed that the houses could again be ventilated.
The West Flanders public prosecutor’s office has appointed an expert to determine the circumstances of the accident. According to the first elements of the investigation, the truck was driving on the N36 towards Ypres from Comines while the van from Messines was crossing the Komenstraat crossroads…
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