A video of a man performing stunts on top of an 88-metre church tower in the municipality of Oudenaarde (East Flanders province) on Thursday – while storm Ciarán had not yet passed – is circulating on social media. The local police have opened an investigation.
While most people stayed inside during Thursday's storm, one man in Oudenaarde took the opportunity to go to the top of the Walburga tower in the municipality and hang from its mast like some kind of human flag while shouting.
The man was hanging on the mast like a human flag (likely without protection) 88 metres off the ground. "What you see here in Oudenaarde if you look up carefully," a man who filmed the stunt and posted it on social media said.
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Oudenaarde mayor Marnic De Meulemeester called it "a crazy video," adding that it is "still a mystery" how the man got on top of the church tower. "You need a key for that. Access is possible, but last night, to my knowledge, no one had our permission. We are looking into how the man got there."
The police are conducting an investigation, he said. Once it is clear how the man got onto the tower, the municipality will look into taking safety measures. "Let's be clear: you do not do something like that. With yesterday's harsh weather conditions, he was putting his life in danger."
