As fans celebrate French World Cup victory over Morocco, boy ‘violently hit’ by car in Montpellier

A suspect driving a car in the southern French city of Montpellier “violently hit” and killed a teenage boy as crowds celebrated France’s victory in the World Cup semifinal, local authorities said Thursday.

The vehicle was found nearby, but the driver fled the scene. Police are trying to locate the suspect and have opened an investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident, according to the Montpellier prosecutor’s office.

Video emerged on Twitter showing a car being driven dangerously near crowds in the street following the French national team’s Wednesday night win over Morocco.

The 14-year-old, whose name was not made public, was rushed to a hospital and died of his injuries, authorities said.

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French lawmaker Nathalie Oziol expressed her “immense sadness (that a) sporting event ends in absolute tragedy.”

French supporters celebrate a win in the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between Morocco and France in a bar in Montpellier. Later that evening amid the celebrations a teenager was hit and killed by a car. Police found the car, but the suspect fled the scene.
(Ameer Alhalbi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Elsewhere in France, crowds in Paris and other cities erupted in shouts of joy as France — which has a large Moroccan community — advanced to the World Cup final. The displays were relatively restrained. Disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country’s unprecedented achievement.

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In the capital of neighboring Belgium, which also has a sizeable Moroccan community, about 100 people were detained late Wednesday after soccer fans shot fireworks at police and damaged cars in the center of Brussels, police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere said.