A 12-year-old British boy was killed and five other members of his family, including his twin, were injured when a BMW crashed on a Belgian motorway.
The accident involving the boy and his family occurred on the E40 motorway near Veurne, West Flanders, at around 1am on January 8 while heading towards the French border, according to Belgian media.
The BMW X5 estate with British registration reportedly lost control and ended up crashing on its roof between the motorway and an exit.
Local police said in a statement about the accident: “There were a total of six occupants in the car. One of them, a 12-year-old boy of British nationality, was thrown from the vehicle and died from his injuries.
Investigators are looking into whether bad weather and an “unadjusted speed” caused the crash, the local prosecutor’s office said.
The boy was reportedly one of four children in the car, which also included his twin brother.
While four family members reportedly suffered only minor injuries, one person was seriously injured but is understood to be in a non-life-threatening condition. All five are being treated in hospital.
The British family involved in the accident has not yet been named, but the Jewish chronicle reports that the boy attended Menorah High School in Edgware, London.
The accident involving the boy and his family occurred on the E40 motorway near Veurne, West Flanders, at around 1am on January 8 while heading towards the French border, according to Belgian media.
The BMW X5 estate with British registration lost control and ended up crashing into the roof between the motorway and an exit.
No one witnessed the accident and the police were only notified thanks to the BMW’s automatic emergency alert system, according to local media. information.
‘T“The first findings show that poor weather conditions and aquaplaning on the road, in combination with an unadjusted speed, may be the causes of the accident,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
‘No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The investigation continues.’
The family was reportedly returning from Antwerp when the accident occurred near Veurne. The exit to the city was closed for several hours after the incident.
The boy’s tragic death comes just two weeks before he celebrated his bar mitzvah with his twin brother, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
His classmates at Menorah Grammar School reportedly reacted “in different ways” to the news of his death, the newspaper reports.
In an email sent to parents on January 9, the school alerted parents to the passing of “a very dead talmid (student).”
This is breaking news. More to follow.