At least one person died on Thursday in a car chase and motorway shootout that started in Belgium and ended in France.
The Belgian police pursued people smugglers through Belgium and France in a dramatic chase that included three crashes and a pile-up.
The Irish Examiner reports:
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The 140mph pursuit which, left a motorcyclist dead and at least four others seriously injured began on a main road in Belgium and ended in Dunkirk in France.
Media reports state that the incident began around 5.30am this morning when a lorry driver discovered 17 immigrants in his vehicle and was threatened with a knife.
As Belgian police intervened, four Iraqi nationals, who are thought to have been people smugglers, took off in an Audi A4 with Belgian officers in pursuit.
Two passengers in the runaway car were hit by bullets shot by pursuing police officers. One was hit in the shoulder and the other in the abdomen.
A16 motorway near France-Belgium border shut after shoot-out between police & suspected people smugglers who were driving UK-registered car
— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) May 5, 2016
The chase came to a messy end when the Audi A4 came upon an earlier accident being attended by emergency services.
The Audi A4 lost control and smashed into a lorry, resulting in a pile up of cars, which tried to avoid the wreckage.
Motorway crashes on France/Belgium border after ‘people smuggler’ shoot-out involving UK-registered car. #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/IjaTSqP26P
— Heart London News (@HeartLondonNews) May 5, 2016
While this was on-going a third crash occurred when a motorcyclist attempted to skip the traffic and collided with a lorry.
The road has since reopened however there is said to be tailbacks of up to 10 miles.
