Seven people were dragged into the sea and three have been hospitalised after a Belgian ship caused a tidal wave by sailing too close to the shore on the Dutch beach of Vlissingen on Sunday evening, according to local media reports.
One person and two children aged 3 and 5 were hospitalised for check-ups after the large wave dragged them into the waters of the North Sea.
"That green ship went so fast, you could tell it would go wrong," a bystander who filmed the incident told Het Laatste Nieuws, adding that there was not enough time to warn bathers to retreat from the shore.
Seven people in total were reportedly dragged into the sea by the powerful wave, but most were able to return to the coast by themselves.
"I've seen [this] before, but never so bad," said the bystander who filmed the events, who reportedly sent the footage to the Belgian company who owns the ship.
Dutch police said on Twitter that boats had been used for security during the incident, and confirmed that three people were taken by ambulance to the hospital.
The town mayor said an inquiry had been launched to determine the circumstances that caused the incident, but he could not provide any further information.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
