A Belgian football fan who was in Liverpool for yesterday’s English Premier League title parade has said he felt "angry and upset" when he heard the news that a car had ploughed into a crowd in a city centre street, injuring scores of people.
At around 18:00 local time, a car drove into a number of pedestrians on Water Street, Liverpool, shortly after Liverpool FC's title parade ended. According to the local ambulance service, 27 people were taken to hospital for treatment. Two people, including a child, were seriously injured, while 20 people were treated at the scene.
Mikael Roufosse, co-president of the Fan Club Liverpool Belgium, travelled to Liverpool from Liège with his friend Pascal to participate in the parade. Hundreds of other Belgian fans were present, with around 30 to 40 travelling from Fan Club Liverpool Belgium.
Speaking to The Brussels Times, Mikael, 47, said of yesterday’s title parade: "The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. I was very lucky – I had a place on a rooftop near the Liver Building so I could see everything from above. It gave me goosebumps being there – it was extraordinary. I felt I was participating in something historic."
Crowds line the streets of Liverpool. Credit: Mikael Roufosse / The Brussels Times
He explained that when he ventured down into the crowd below, he felt quite overwhelmed by the noise and the throng of people. "For anyone susceptible to panic attacks, it might have been a lot to deal with," he said. "There was loud music, DJs playing, firecrackers, fireworks. There were thousands of people from all over the world – Scandinavia, India, Mexico."
'I felt angry and upset'
Fortunately, by the time the incident happened on Water Street, Mikael had already left the city for the journey to Manchester Airport. When he heard the news, he said he felt "overcome with emotion".
"First of all, I felt angry and upset about it," Mikael explained. "I was worried for the victims and the injured people, but I also had a real feeling of rage. You can be sure that an incident like that is going to spoil people’s memories of the day – they won’t be able to talk about it in the same way."
He added: "It isn’t the first tragic event linked with Liverpool. The name of Liverpool is associated with incredibly positive moments, but also terrible tragedies like Hillsborough and Heysel. I really hope the injured people recover."
Police are not treating yesterday’s incident as terror-related. A 53-year-old man, believed to be the driver of the car, has been arrested and is being held in custody. He was described by police as "a white, British man from the Liverpool area".
According to the Liverpool Echo, the driver may have tailgated an ambulance to gain access to Water Street before driving his car into the crowd.
