Hundreds Join Silent Procession in Axel for Students Killed in Traffic Accident

Hundreds of people dressed in white filled the streets of Axel, Netherlands, on Sunday evening for a silent procession to honor the three elementary school students and a director who died in a tragic traffic accident. The group gathered to mourn the victims, who were en route to a school trip when their bicycles were struck by a car.

The devastating incident occurred Thursday near Terhole, leaving three other students hospitalized. The small town of eight thousand inhabitants has been deeply affected, with flags flying at half-mast and a palpable sense of shock and sorrow permeating the community. Organizers requested participants wear white to signify that the event was not a funeral.

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These are bewildering days for the people here. There is so much grief. When you think of the victims, the children still in the hospital, all the other students, it's unbelievable. The community here is close-knit. They want to express their grief with this procession.

"These are bewildering days for the people here," said Mayor Franc Weerwind of Terneuzen municipality. "There is so much grief. When you think of the victims, the children still in the hospital, all the other students, it's unbelievable. The community here is close-knit. They want to express their grief with this procession."

Parents of the deceased, accompanied by Mayor Weerwind and the King's Commissioner for Zeeland, Hugo de Jonge, walked at the front of the procession. Many attendees carried flowers or stuffed animals, observing a somber silence as the white line of people moved through the town toward De Warande elementary school, where the deceased students and director were enrolled.

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The atmosphere in Axel is different now. It is a great shock for everyone. Everyone feels defeated, sad. Axel is officially a city, but everyone here knows each other. So everyone knows those children too.