The Siege of Tilburg: Hilvarenbeekseweg

The Siege of Tilburg: Hilvarenbeekseweg: "A-65 viaduct crossing the Hilvarenbeekseweg In Tilburg Zuid, you could hear the rumble of artillery and urban skirmishes in Goirle. This m..."

Hilvarenbeekseweg

A-65 viaduct crossing the Hilvarenbeekseweg

In Tilburg Zuid, you could hear the rumble of artillery and urban skirmishes in Goirle. This morning we went out to take a look at the Elisabethziekenhuis (Elisabeth Hospital). Thank God the building was hardly damaged. Nonetheless the building got overcrowded. A nurse who stood outside, smoking a cigarette, complained about the Burgertroepen (paramilitary forces composed of civilians), that wanted prior medical attention instead of the civilians. He just couldn’t make any sense out of it. We offered him another cigarette.
From a window he was able to see Burgertroepen trying to blow up the viaduct to create a barricade. They got no further than half a lane, when suddenly they were attacked.

The Siege of Tilburg: The Siege of Tilburg (The Netherlands)

The Siege of Tilburg: The Siege of Tilburg (The Netherlands): "Weeks ago, not only the news, but the war itself reached us. I was just able to leave Tilburg on time and right now I can only hear the viol..."

The Siege of Tilburg: Checkpoint Westpoint

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Checkpoint Westpoint

Havoc at the Westpoint-tower. The bus in the left side of the picture, was being shot with grenades a week ago. 14 occupants lost their lives. The two people who managed to get out of the bus, got shot when they tried to reach safety.

The Siege of Tilburg (The Netherlands)

Weeks ago, not only the news, but the war itself reached us. I was just able to leave Tilburg on time and right now I can only hear the violence. Nevertheless, I still feel connected to the city and I try to pay a visit as often as possible. But with all the soldiers, citizen soldiers, rebels, police, security, UN, and so on, it’s not exactly easy to get to the city.

A few weeks ago I was able to shoot a picture of the Westpoint-tower in Tilburg. At the moment I took the photograph, there was a terrible explosion at the Heuvel (city-center/downtown). Soldiers and journalists told me it was a terrible scene. At the moment it is too dangerous to get there, but I will soon try to get nearer and take photo’s.