At least six die in blaze at Belgian apartments

AT least six people were killed and many others were injured in a fire yesterday morning at an apartment block on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Antwerp.

- VIRGINIA MAYO

According to fire service officials, the blaze was caused by a technical failure on the ground floor of the apartment building, where more than 200 people live in its flats, in the city’s Linkeroever neighbourhood, sending vast plumes of smoke into the air.

“Right now, unfortunately, at least six people have died in the fire. There are also a significant number of seriously injured people, as well as a number of lightly injured,” Antwerp police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told Belgian broadcaster VTM.

Antwerp fire brigade spokeswoman Marie de Clercq told reporters it was a complex fire, and added that the poor visibility and thick smoke in the building had made it difficult to extinguish the blaze.