Man (57) died after falling into a canal after champions celebration, son discovers his body

A man in his fifties from Diksmuide in West Flanders died on Saturday night. The man came from a championship celebration and on the way back home fell into a canal with water, near the De Pluimen sports complex. He was found by his son on Sunday morning.

Just after 7 a.m., the emergency services were called to Pluimstraat in Diksmuide. There it turned out that a man was lying in a canal with his face in the water. It was the victim’s son who found him on Sunday morning, after searching in vain for his father all night. They had attended the KSV Diksmuide championship celebration together in the sports complex on Pluimstraat.

The son returned home early and discovered around 3 a.m. that his father had not returned. He searched the area, but did not find his father. At daybreak he continued his search and found his father in a ditch of water. Despite the quick response of the emergency services, no further assistance could be provided. The man, born in 1967, died at the scene. “It was an accidental death,” the police confirmed. (Daron Mertens)