Flash Flood Sweeps Through Ardennes Campsite, Drags Parked Van Away, Drowns One Occupant

La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium— A wall of water hit a riverside camping area in the Ardennes on October 24, 2026, picked up a parked camping van and killed the person inside.

Rain had fallen hard for hours overnight. Small streams feeding the Ourthe swelled. By dawn, the river had jumped its banks and cut through the lower field where several vans were parked. Staff said the water rose in minutes.

The van was parked near the edge, closest to the bank. Witnesses said it rocked, then slid. The current took it about 80 meters before it wedged against trees. The door was jammed shut by pressure and debris.

Campers tried to reach it with rope. It was too fast. Water was waist high and moving with branches and mud. One camper said, "We shouted, we could not get close. The van turned and went under."

Fire and rescue from Houffalize and Marche-en-Famenne deployed at 7:12 a.m. Divers entered once the flow eased. They found the victim inside the cab area, still belted where the person had tried to ride it out. The prosecutor confirmed drowning as preliminary cause.

The campsite operator said 34 people were registered that night. All others were moved to higher ground. Two vans and a car were totaled. Power was cut to the site and the access road stayed closed until debris was cleared.

Weather service records show 45 to 60 millimeters fell in under six hours across the central Ardennes massif. Soils were already saturated from a wet week. A yellow alert for heavy rain had been in place, upgraded to orange after midnight.

Local authorities have ordered a safety review of riverside pitches. The governor of Luxembourg province said, "We need to look at where we allow overnight stays when the river can rise this fast. This was not a forecast miss, it was exposure."

The campsite remains closed. Insurance assessors and civil protection are mapping the high-water line and checking gas bottles and chemical toilets that were scattered downstream. The victim's name has not been made public.