Six people died when a car drove into a Carnival gathering in the southern Belgian town of Strépy-Bracquegnies in the early hours of Sunday, while 10 others sustained life-threatening injuries.
A further 27 people were slightly injured in the incident, a rescue services spokesperson said at a press conference.
It remained unclear why the car had driven into the crowd of people.
A spokesperson for the state prosecution stressed that there were no indications of a terrorist motive. The two people sitting in the car were locals, born in 1988 and 1990, and had been arrested, he said.
They were not known to the authorities and could now face murder charges, according to the prosecution.
The mayor of La Louvière, Jacques Gobert, said the car had apparently driven into the group at high speed. He described the event as a "catastrophe." The driver had initially kept on driving but was intercepted, he added.
Strépy-Bracquegnies, situated 50 kilometres south-west of Brussels, has a population of around 9,000, according to the municipality of La Louvière, which it forms part of.
The town triggered its emergency plan and victim support services.
The incident occurred at around 5 am during a traditional early morning Carnival ceremony. According to the mayor, around 150 to 200 people took part in the ritual, going from house to house to make collections for the Carnival.
Dramatic scenes
A radio presenter with the Belgian RTL broadcaster, Fabrice Collignon, who was participating in the event, reported on dramatic scenes as the car drove into the crowd of people.
"There was music and smiles and, three seconds later, there was screaming. It was horrible," he said according to RTL.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden expressed her condolences to the friends and families of those killed, as well as those injured.
"What was supposed to be a friendly party turned into a drama," Verlinden wrote on Twitter.
Prime Minister Alexander de Croo also tweeted on the "horrible news" and said he would visit the site with King Philippe in the afternoon.
The Carnival season in La Louvière started in early March, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, according to the Belga news agency. It had been cancelled entirely in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Gobert called on Sunday for the rest of the Carnival to be cancelled. "I think everyone's state of mind is such that we cannot not consider anything else," he said.
