Diksmuide (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgians contacted emergency services on Sunday evening after observing an empty floating construction site toilet in Diksmuide. The investigation team sent divers to the site yet discovered that the toilet was both empty and linked to the outdoor sports company Buitenbeentje.
A floating construction site toilet at Diksmuide, Belgium, appeared on the IJzer riverside, triggering emergency rescue efforts after local people discovered it. The discovery happened on Sunday evening until authorities became worried about potential human occupancy inside the toilet.
Divers from the fire brigade arrived at the scene to conduct explorations. Responders were able to find the empty toilet before a disaster could occur. Wall-hung or floating toilets serve the dual purpose of space conservation and providing bathrooms with a minimalist and contemporary design. The fixture produced the complete opposite result from its intended elegant design.
Passers-by discovered the floating toilet in the city centre, which led to their concern. The observers called emergency services, unsure if anyone existed within the object, while rescue teams reacted swiftly. The toilet came from the Buitenbeentje site, which operates as an outdoor sports organisation that provides kayak rental and hosts recreational events. Staff members of ‘t Buitenbeentje, alongside firefighters, conducted a rescue operation that started after a toilet element drifted into the vicinity.
The toilet was recovered through boat operations and subsequently repositioned to its original place. Fast shipping options for these particular toilets operate in stark contrast to the unplanned aquatic adventure experienced by this specific unit.
What past accidents have occurred near Diksmuide?
Multiple tragic accidents occurred in the history of Diksmuide. The British airline Imperial Airways operated the passenger aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Argosy II named City of Liverpool when it crashed near Diksmuide due to onboard fire on March 28 1933.
The fatal crash led to the death of all fifteen passengers and crew members, thus becoming the worst air disaster in British civil aviation until that time.
The aircraft followed the standard schedule of Imperial Airways by travelling between Brussels and London on that route. Several observers reported the aircraft burst into flames while flying before it crashed down. Aerial observers watched Albert Voss drop from the aeroplane while lacking a parachute during his flight.
The investigation confirmed that the first signs of fire emerged at the plane’s rear section, possibly because someone had either unintentionally or deliberately set the substance ablaze.
The inquest revealed no conclusion because Voss faced accusations of aircraft destruction alongside drug trafficking allegations, though investigators failed to prove his involvement in either crime. Two scuba divers lost their lives during a diving accident when the Plate Taille dam turbines activated close to the intake shaft in Froidchapelle, Belgium, in January 2024.
