The highways and waterways authority Rijkswaterstaat has lodged a complaint against the captain of a ship that caused a tidal wave off the coast of Vlissingen. engulfing seven people.

The agency said the Bonny River, a 160 metre-long sand dredger, passed the beach at Boulevard Bankert at a speed of 13.5 knots on Sunday evening. Two children aged five and three, as well as an adult, were taken to hospital to be checked over they were swept into the water.

A directive by Rijkswaterstaat has been in force in the area since 2011, stating that ‘a captain must adjust the speed of his vessel as “good seamanship” to prevent dangerous tidal waves forming so that no danger tor recreational beach users arises.’

‘The shipping channel runs close to the beach, especially yesterday evening when it was low tide,’ a spokesman told Omroep Zeeland. ‘That’s why we have lodged a complaint against the captain of the ship.’