The Brussels metro system, once lauded for its efficiency and accessibility, now grapples with a burgeoning drug epidemic that has claimed its first casualty.

A tragic incident on Friday, April 14th, 2023, marked a grim milestone in the city’s battle against substance abuse, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive intervention.

In the early hours of the morning, at approximately 5:15 a.m., a MIVB (Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company) employee operating a metro train between Ribaucourt and IJzer stations made a harrowing discovery.

Upon sensing an impact, the driver initiated an emergency stop, only to find that the train had struck a man traversing the tracks within the tunnel.

The victim, born in 2001, was likely seeking refuge in the tunnel, a grim testament to the dire circumstances faced by many drug addicts and homeless individuals in the city.

Subsequent investigations by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office revealed that the victim’s death was not the result of foul play, but rather a tragic consequence of drug addiction.

It is believed that the individual, almost certainly under the influence of narcotics, had sought shelter in the metro tunnel, a common refuge for those grappling with addiction in the city’s underground network.

This incident marks the first time that a fatal accident in the Brussels metro system has been officially linked to the pervasive drug epidemic that has gripped the city since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports from earlier this year had already highlighted the dire conditions faced by hundreds of drug addicts living in squalor within the metro stations.

From frequent skirmishes to instances of self-endangerment, the challenges faced by both the authorities and vulnerable individuals have become increasingly apparent.

The MIVB has also released alarming statistics, indicating a nearly threefold increase in reports of drug use within its network over the past year.

With an average of twelve reports per day in 2023, compared to 2022’s figure of 1,685 reports, the scale of the issue is undeniable.

Furthermore, incidents of individuals trespassing onto the tracks have also surged, prompting significant disruptions to metro services.

Despite concerted efforts by law enforcement agencies, the sheer scale of the problem necessitates a multifaceted approach, one that extends beyond mere policing.

Acknowledging the limitations of law enforcement alone, Belgian federal police have stressed the importance of holistic intervention strategies, involving not just policing but also social services.

The Brussels government’s “Sublink” initiative, launched in the summer of 2023, aims to provide support and guidance to drug addicts, steering them towards much-needed assistance.

However, for the unfortunate individual who lost his life in the Ribaucourt-IJzer tunnel, such assistance arrived too late.

Main Image: Door Tram24 – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7748651

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Read also: Tackling the Alarming Rise of Drug Addiction in Brussels Metro Stations

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