Two motorists were killed, and several others were injured in a crash on the A59 motorway near Heesch this morning.
At least four cars were involved in the collision, police confirm. While reports state that farmers driving slow-moving tractors to a protest contributed to a traffic jam, it’s uncertain how the deadly collision occurred.
According to a Rijkswaterstaat post on X, the “A59 towards Den Bosch is closed between junction Paalgraven and Nuland”, with multiple emergency services at the scene. It’s not yet known how many people are injured.
Here’s what we know
While facts are scarce at this stage, it’s been confirmed that the crash happened at the rear of the existing traffic jam, where fast-moving cars ran into traffic that had already stopped.
As NOS reports, a queue of vehicles had built up, as a large number of slow-moving tractors were on their way to Den Bosch.
At least one person is still trapped in their vehicle, Omroep Brabant writes, and traffic is currently being diverted. According to ANWB, commuters who usually take the A59 must now use the A2 or A50.
Why were tractors on the motorway at all?
In general, tractors aren’t allowed on Dutch motorways. However, both the police and the Public Prosecution Service had indicated that farmers wouldn’t be prevented from driving on the A59, due to their right to demonstrate.
The farmers involved in the incident were on their way to the provincial government building in Den Bosch, where councillors were debating a plan to withdraw the permits of five poultry farms.
Police were reticent to confirm whether the tractors played a part in the collision; “it is far too early to draw any conclusions from that”, they tell reporters at NOS.
In a post on X, Brabant police clarified that an investigation into the crash is currently ongoing. Anyone with information on the crash is invited to contact the authorities on 0900-8844.
Want to make sure DutchReview pops up on your news feed more often? Just add us as a preferred news provider, and we’ll handle the rest.
