Antwerp police are working to track down a group of around 15 people who brutally assaulted three members of a Scout group after a Christmas party at the weekend.
The three victims are said to be leaders of a local Scout group, and they were attacked as they left a Christmas party in the Antwerp municipality of Deurne.
The Scout leaders, all aged between 20 and 24, were leaving the party when they encountered a group of around five people, with whom they started chatting before things got violent, Het Nieuwsblad reports.
The three victims said the group quickly grew to around 15 people, who started beating them, kicking and punching them and also reportedly also dealing them blows using moped helmets.
One of the victims, aged 24, lost consciousness and had to be rushed to the intensive care unit of a local hospital, where he was treated for a serious concussion, according to HLN.
Two of the victims managed to call the emergency services for medical assistant, with the 24-year-old's father praising them for saving his son, whom he said was "left to die" by the attackers.
"He has a concussion, the shoe print was still on his forehead," the father said. "He also received blows with a motorcycle helmet, and he had to receive stitches three times."
The victims told police that they did not know any of the perpetrators, who they described as being between 16 and 18 years old.
The organisers of the party have issued a call for witnesses on the event's Facebook page, calling out the "senseless violence" and asking anyone who has "seen or heard" anything to come forward with the information.
"The first phase is to identify the perpetrators," the police told VRT. "Those who were present at the party or who saw something can certainly report it, any information that may lead to the suspects is certainly welcome."
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
