A fatal accident occurred on the E40 towards Coast. Major traffic problems are expected.
Near Erpe-Mere in East Flanders, the E40 motorway in the direction of Ghent was closed on Saturday morning due to a fatal accident. The Traffic Center and the federal police communicate this.
According to the press service of the federal police, two cars were involved in the accident, the first report of which was at 5.28 am. The first car reportedly crashed into the guardrail in the central reservation, after which it began to spin and ended up on its roof on the roadway. The second car collided with the vehicle. Federal police say one person died and a second was injured.
The roadway is littered with debris. The public prosecutor’s office has been informed and can send a traffic expert to the scene.
The Traffic Center reports that the disruption is expected to last a long time. Material now needs to be brought in to clear the road. We also have to wait for the findings of a possible traffic expert.
The spokesperson for the Traffic Center, Peter Bruyninckx, says that there is currently a traffic jam for about fifteen minutes at the Erpe-Mere exit, but that this will undoubtedly increase. Due to the nice weather, a lot of traffic towards the coast was expected. Traffic is now diverted from the highway via the Erpe-Mere exit, to return to Wetteren.
But between the accident and the exit, cars are said to have been stuck for about two kilometers since 5:30 am. The road police are now organizing a ‘liberation operation’, escorting the cars away, possibly by having them turn around.
For long-distance traffic, the Traffic Center recommends avoiding the area. Anyone who has to travel from Brussels to Ghent is recommended to drive via Antwerp, via the E19. Anyone who has to go from Hasselt to Ghent should also drive via Antwerp (E313 and E17). An alternative route from Brussels to Ghent runs via the A12, the N16 and then the E17.
