Dutch Authorities Call Queen's Day Car Crash Deliberate

Two bystanders are knocked to the ground by a vehicle driven at full speed through the spectators gathered for a visit of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in Apeldoorn 30 April 2009.

The dead toll from the car crashing into a parade with Dutch Queen Beatrix and the royal family has risen to four.

The accident took place Thursday in the town of Apeldoorn during celebrations for Queen's Day, an annual holiday in the Netherlands. No royals were hurt.

The black Suzuki crashed into a monument, narrowly missing an open bus carrying the royals.

The BBC is citing Apeldoorn mayor Fred de Graaf, who said at a news conference that four people had been killed in the incident and 13 injured - five of them seriously.

Dutch officials now say the driver, who was seriously hurt, appeared to have acted deliberately, but ruled out terrorism as a motive after a search of the car and the perpetrator's home.

The identity of the man has not been revealed, but officials said he is a Dutch national aged 38.

Cynthia Boll, a photographer at the scene, told the BBC the car was already badly damaged before it slammed into the crowds at high speed.

Witnesses report that the streets of Apeldoorn are now empty.

In a statement from the royal family, the Queen gave her condolences to the victims of the crash.