In brief
A fire in a 10‑storey building in Antwerp’s Linkeroever district claimed five lives and left many injured. Thick smoke erupted from the eighth floor on a Wednesday morning, prompting a rapid evacuation of 80 flats. The blaze was traced to a technical fault on the ground floor, according to police and firefighters. The incident prompted a visit from King Philippe and a minute’s silence at the Flemish parliament.
Five people have died and several others have been injured in a fire that broke out in a 10‑storey block of flats in Antwerp, Belgian police say.
Thick smoke was seen billowing from the eighth floor of the building in the Linkeroever district, after the fire broke out just before 10:00 (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Dramatic video showed a man clambering from his balcony through a neighbour's window to escape the black smoke.
Police say more than 200 people live in the block and the fire department evacuated 80 flats in the building.
They say the fire was caused by a technical problem on the ground floor.
Kim Bastiaens told Belgian public TV that the blaze had taken a heavy toll in Linkeroever and that several people suffered serious and minor injuries.
Police had earlier spoken of six deaths but later revised the number down to five and during the afternoon the Antwerp fire service said the fire had been put out.
King Philippe visited Linkeroever to meet evacuated residents and visit the scene of the fire.
Resident Geert Dewulf told VRT that thick smoke prevented him from leaving his flat, and that firefighters rescued residents from the balcony with a ladder.
Firefighters said they were going from flat to flat searching for possible victims, explaining that the smoke had spread quickly through the building and made evacuation harder.
Another resident recalled the successful evacuation of his parents‑in‑law, one a former mayor of Antwerp, who were taken to hospital.
Antwerp fire brigade spokeswoman Marie de Clercq commented that the fire was complex and that poor visibility and thick smoke made suppression difficult.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed thoughts for the victims and evacuated residents of the terrible fire in Linkeroever.
The Flemish parliament began its session on Wednesday afternoon with a minute’s silence for the victims of the fire.
