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Parade deaths

nk/ad/sh, dpa/AP/ReutersMay 1, 2009

The man who tried to ram his car into the bus of the Dutch royals during a parade has died in hospital after killing six bystanders and leaving eight seriously injured.

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Wrecked car after it crashed into a monument
The attacker's car came to a halt after crashing into a monumentImage: AP

The 38-year-old Dutchman, who deliberately raced his car towards an open bus carrying Queen Beatrix and her family at a parade on Thursday has died from his wounds, according to Dutch TV reports.

The driver broke through barriers with a small black car at high speed, hitting 17 people, killing four men and two women. A number of survivors, including two children, were left seriously injured.

He missed the royal bus by four or five metres before slamming at high speed into a stone monument in central Apeldoorn, southeast of the capital Amsterdam.

Motives unclear

Fire-fighters removed the attacker from the wreckage of the car. Police said the man had confessed to attempting to ram the open-top bus carrying the 71-year-old queen as well as Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima.

Members of the royal family at the moment of the attack, including Beatrix, Maxima and Willem-Alexander
Members of the royal family were just meters away from the car's fatal pathImage: AP

"There are no indications of terrorist links," public prosecutor Ludo Goossens said, nor were there any signs of explosives or a broader conspiracy.

Investigators searched the man's house to try and establish a motive. They said he had no record of mental illness or previous crimes.

Queen cancels march-past

Queen Beatrix expressed her "deepest sympathy" for the dead and injured. She cancelled a ceremonial march-past scheduled in memory of her mother, Queen Juliana, who died five years ago.

Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende said it was "a sad day for the Netherlands."