Tram 'shot at' in Ghent, but turns out to be people throwing stones

Tram 'shot at' in Ghent, but turns out to be people throwing stones

A De Lijn tram was damaged on Tuesday evening in Ghent after unidentified people threw several stones at the tram carriage, which passengers mistook for gunfire. Panicked by the noise, people called the police, saying that the tram had been shot at. This caused police to rush to the Gebroeders de Smetstraat in Ghent, where the tram had stopped. 

"We received a call about a tram that was supposedly under fire, but fortunately that wasn't the case," said the Ghent police to Het Nieuwsblad. Further investigation on the scene confirmed that the noise had been caused by stones.

No bullet holes or bullets were found on the scene, but stone chips and remains of stones were found. On the outside of the tram carriage, several impacts of stones could be seen and one of the stones went through a window.

One of the thrown stones smashed a window, causing a passenger to be slightly injured by flying glass.

"Tram carriages have safety glass, which 'explodes' with a loud bang when a sharp object strikes", said the police. "The confusion about the gunshots was probably caused by the noise of the safety glass.

The police kept about thirty passengers on board the tram on Tuesday evening to record their statements and searched in vain for the possible perpetrator(s) in the neighbourhood.

Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times


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