The body of a 37-year-old Bulgarian man was found on Tuesday morning by a passer-by on Blankenberge beach. The cause of death has been identified as drowning and three of the victim's friends have been arrested.
After the body was discovered, the Blankenberge police were alerted and a coroner was dispatched to determine the cause of death. The man's identity was quickly established.
He was identified by three friends with whom he had come to the beach. In their statements, the friends admitted to heavy drinking in Ghent and Ostend the night before. They had decided to spend the night on the beach and lost contact with the man after he decided to go swimming in the sea. They noticed he was missing only upon waking up the following morning.
The victim had a head injury that his friends suggested might have resulted from a fall or a leap from a breakwater. The coroner confirmed the results of an autopsy which revealed that the man drowned without any violence or interference from a third party.
Nevertheless, the victim's three friends have been arrested and will be brought before the investigating judge on Wednesday afternoon on charges of negligence.
According to Maxim Van Winkel, the lawyer of one of the three friends, his client has not pleaded guilty. "His friends had still advised him against swimming," he told VRT. "My client did not realise that he was in danger."
"They had all drunk a lot and quickly fell asleep on the beach," Van Winkel stated. "The next day, they woke up and saw police standing by a red tent. They immediately cooperated and identified their friend."
