Car strikes school cycling group in southern Netherlands, killing at least three children and one adult

A car struck a school cycling group in Vogelwaarde, Netherlands, on June 11, 2026, killing three children and one adult chaperone. Four other children were seriously injured and hospitalized. The group, from an elementary school in Axel, consisted of 14 students and two chaperones on a camping trip. Police have detained a 19-year-old man in connection with the crash, though his role as the driver has not been confirmed.

Vogelwaarde cycling group collision

• ▪The collision occurred on a provincial road about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Amsterdam
• ▪A car struck a group of cyclists near Vogelwaarde in the southern Netherlands on June 11, 2026

Child fatalities

• ▪Two children died at the scene, and a third died later in a hospital in Rotterdam on the evening of June 11, 2026
• ▪Four other children were seriously injured and taken to hospitals in the Netherlands and Belgium
• ▪One adult, a chaperone for the school group, was also killed at the scene of the crash
• ▪Three children were killed as a result of the collision

Suspect detention

• ▪Authorities did not immediately confirm if the 19-year-old man was the driver of the car
• ▪Police detained a 19-year-old man and are investigating his involvement in the incident

School trip context

• ▪Such incidents involving multiple cyclists are considered rare in the Netherlands, where dedicated cycle lanes are common
• ▪Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten described the event as a 'nightmare' and offered support to the victims' relatives
• ▪The cycling group consisted of 14 schoolchildren and two chaperones on a school camping trip
• ▪The group was from an elementary school in the nearby town of Axel