Three children and one adult have died after a car crashed into a group of schoolchildren on bicycles in the Netherlands, police said on Thursday.
The car reportedly skidded on a main road near Vogelwaarde in the western province of Zeeland and struck a group of 14 pupils and two accompanying adults, who were on a school trip.
Three people initially died of their injuries. Four other children were seriously injured, one of whom later died in hospital. Police described the crash as a "very serious traffic accident."
A 19-year-old man was detained at the scene, although police did not say whether he was the suspected driver. His involvement in the crash is being investigated.
The driver is said to have continued straight ahead on a bend and struck the group of pupils on the cycle path, broadcaster NOS reported. Police are investigating how the crash happened.
The pupils were from a primary school in Axel, police said. They were on their way to a school trip with accompanying adults, Omroep Zeeland (Zeeland Broadcasting Network) reported.
Photos from the scene showed a badly damaged car that had come to a halt in a ditch beside the road.
Emergency services were deployed in large numbers, including seven ambulances and three rescue helicopters. The injured were taken to hospitals in Ghent, Antwerp and Rotterdam.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten reacted with shock to the accident: "What should be a highlight for every child and every primary school - the school trip - has ended in a nightmare."
