Car kills five after crashing into Dutch royal parade

A car ploughed into a parade that included Queen Beatrix and the Dutch royal family yesterday, killing five people and injuring 12, according to Dutch officials.

Five remain in serious condition, but no royals were hurt in the deliberate attack by a 38-year old Dutchman on the Queen's Day holiday, police said in the town of Apeldoorn. Television footage showed a small black Suzuki with a crumpled front driving at high speed after ploughing through a crowd of spectators.

It missed an open-top bus carrying Queen Beatrix and the royal family by four or five metres, before finally crashing into a stone monument.

In the bus, Princess Maxima, wife of heir Willem-Alexander, looked on in horror after the car hurtled through the crowd in the centre of the city, about 90 kilometres east of Amsterdam. "What started as a beautiful day has ended in terrible drama, which has shocked us deeply," Queen Beatrix said in a response, which was broadcast on national television.

The driver of the car, who was injured, was detained.

"So far we have no indication that there is a link to terror (activities)," public prosecutor Ludo Goossens told a news conference. The government cancelled the remaining official activities on the annual national holiday.