A speeding car mowed down a group of performers preparing for a carnival parade in southern Belgium early Sunday, killing six people and leaving 10 more with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

More than 150 people had gathered at dawn with costumes and drums for the festival in Strépy-Bracquegnies when suddenly “a car drove from the back at high speed,” said Jacques Gobert, mayor of the neighboring town of La Louviere.

The vehicle “pulverized a large number of people, continuing its way before stopping a little further down,” Gobert said, according to CNN.

The driver and a second man, who are both from La Louvière and in their 30s, were arrested a few miles from the scene. They had not been previously known to police, authorities said.

In addition to those killed and the 10 who were critically injured, there were 27 people who suffered minor injuries, prosecutors said.

The motive behind the deadly incident was unclear.

But prosecutor Damien Verheyen said, “There is no element in the investigation at this time that allows me to consider that the motivations of the two could have been terror-related.”

Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said “his thoughts were with victims and their relatives.

“Horrible news from Strépy-Bracquegnies. A community gathering to celebrate has been hit in the heart,” he wrote on Twitter. 

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden also expressed grief over the incident.

“What should have been a great party turned into a tragedy,” Verlinden said.

With Post Wires