As a result of the collision, two containers from the ship were in the water, and three more were stuck vertically under the bridge. “As a result, the road surface of the bridge has been pushed,” says the Belgian fire brigade. It will take some time to raise and salvage the ship.

Emergency services were called to the freight incident just after 10:30 p.m. on Monday. Fire brigade divers were dispatched to the scene and the fire brigade immediately launched two fireboats into the water to mark the container with buoys.

Other emergency services took care of the truck driver. He was driving calmly on the N16 motorway towards Mechelen, after which he crashed head-on into the raised road surface of the Ring Bridge. The destruction was particularly great. The driver was able to get out of the car on his own. He was shocked and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fire Captain Simon said: “We are currently doing what is necessary so that the containers can be removed from the water and we hope to free the ship from under the bridge as quickly as possible.” This will likely take some time. For example, the truck must be lifted first and the bridge can only be raised after that. Only then can an engineer from the Flemish Waterway examine the bridge and it will become clear whether the circular bridge was damaged.

Local police are still investigating the cause of the accident.