Emergency services are still searching for at least four residents of the apartment building in the Antwerp district of Hoboken where a large explosion occurred Thursday morning, firefighters said at midday.
These are people living in the building who have not yet been able to be contacted. It is unknown if they are actually inside, as searches outside have not yet turned up anything.
Two deaths and serious injuries
Six people were extricated from the rubble by the emergency services. The current toll shows two dead and five injured, three of them seriously, local police said.
The upper two floors of the three-story building were severely damaged by the explosion, according to firefighters.
Specialized equipment was brought to the scene to safely remove the roof from the building.
Rescuers use a drone to take aerial images of the destroyed building. Firefighters are trying to locate possible additional victims from outside the building, as the structure is currently too unstable to enter safely.
Disaster plan activated
The operational and municipal phase of the disaster plan has been activated, reported the office of Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA). The mayor declared that his “thoughts are with the victims and their families”. He will probably visit the scene later. For the moment, it leaves room for the emergency services to carry out their operations.
The cause of the incident is not yet known. It could be a gas explosion.
