Fire in building in Belgium leaves at least five dead, police say

Belgian firefighters are fighting a fire in an apartment building in the city of Antwerp that left at least five people dead, local police reported in a Facebook post this Wednesday (1st).

The local fire department received a call at 9:53 am (local time) about a "large fire" on the eighth floor of a ten-story building in the Linkeroever area of Antwerp, in northern Belgium, according to police.

The building, which was evacuated, housed more than 200 people, police said, adding that several people were injured.

"At this moment, we cannot provide numbers yet, as priorities are different," local police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens told reporters. "We are mainly focused on finding victims now."

Several fire teams from different districts are at the scene, as well as ambulances and other emergency teams. "We ask residents affected by smoke to close windows and doors and, if necessary, turn off ventilation," police added.

"First, the power went out; three minutes later, the fire alarm went off. By then, there was already smoke in the corridors," Geert Dewulf, a resident of the 10th floor, told Belgian broadcaster VRTNWS.

"We tried to go down on our own, but we couldn't do it anymore. We barricaded ourselves in the apartment and waited on the terrace. About 10 minutes later, the firefighters came to rescue us from the terrace using the truck's ladder."

Linkeroever is a residential area located outside the city center, on the left bank of the River Scheldt.

Belgium has recorded a series of serious fires in recent weeks, including one in a warehouse in Brussels.

Source: CNN