Police investigate boy’s zipline fall at Turnhout fire brigade open weekend

Police are investigating after a 10-year-old boy fell from a zipline on Turnhout’s Grote Markt on Sunday 6 September 2026 and was taken to hospital, according to reporting by Het Nieuwsblad and HLN. Fire station commander Major Gert Bax told the newspapers that firefighters stopped the activity and called police to establish what went wrong.

Updated: 8 September 2026, 18:26 CEST.

HLN places the accident at around 11:30 during the fire brigade’s open weekend. Bax told the newspaper that emergency personnel immediately treated the child before taking him to hospital. The attraction remained closed following an initial assessment, he said. [HLN](https://www.hln.be/turnhout/mama-filmt-hoe-ezekiel-10-bijna-8-meter-valt-na-incident-met-zipline-tijdens-opendeurweekend-brandweer-hij-kwam-op-zijn-hoofd-terecht~a6b21374/)

Het Nieuwsblad reported on Monday that the boy remained in hospital for observation. He told the newspaper that he had suffered no broken bones but had been frightened by the fall. That is the latest hospital status established for this article; his discharge has not been verified. [Het Nieuwsblad](https://www.nieuwsblad.be/regio/antwerpen/kempen/turnhout/moeder-betty-filmt-hoe-ezekiel-10-5-meter-naar-beneden-valt-van-zipline-ik-krijg-dat-beeld-niet-uit-mijn-hoofd/161116739.html)

The published accounts differ on the height: Het Nieuwsblad describes approximately five metres, while HLN reports almost eight. Neither figure is presented here as an established measurement. No police finding explaining the fall was available in the material reviewed.

Bax told HLN that an outside nonprofit association with experience in climbing and caving operated the zipline. He said the circumstances needed to be clarified before anyone was blamed. His account identifies an external operator’s involvement without establishing responsibility for the accident.

The event marked 150 years of Turnhout’s fire station. In its advance announcement, emergency services zone Taxandria scheduled the celebrations for 5–6 September on the Grote Markt, replacing the traditional open day with a public weekend. Sunday’s programme combined emergency-service demonstrations, vehicle displays, fire-prevention information and children’s activities. [Taxandria’s event announcement](https://www.hvztaxandria.be/nieuws/brandweerpost-turnhout-viert-150-jaar-op-5-6-september-2026)

Het Nieuwsblad reported that the investigation had not concluded on Monday afternoon. The outstanding questions are how the child fell and what investigators establish about the operation of the attraction. No timetable for findings was identified in the sources reviewed.