Two hundred pigs had to be euthanised after a lorry accident on Thursday morning at the entrance to the E40 highway at Lincent, Liège province, the Hesbaye rescue zone reported.
Hesbaye firefighters were called out shortly before 4am on Thursday to Lincent, on the E40 motorway slip road towards Brussels.
For an undetermined reason, the driver of a lorry carrying some 200 pigs lost control of his vehicle, which then overturned. The slip road to the capital was immediately closed to traffic.
Many animals were injured and others killed in the swerve. It was eventually decided to euthanise the entire herd, which was considered unfit for human consumption.
Operations to evacuate the pig carcasses were still underway shortly after 5pm on Thursday.
