A large part of an empty building collapsed on Rue Royale across from the Botanique concert venue on Tuesday evening. Traffic on the street is suspended and trams are no longer servicing several stops as a result. The hindrance is expected to last until Thursday.
The building was scheduled to be demolished in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode collapsed on Tuesday evening at around 21:30, the police told The Brussels Times at the scene of the incident. The Brussels Fire Brigade noted that the demolition works had already started, but that the building suddenly collapsed.
Located at the intersection of the Chaussée de Haecht and Rue Traversière, the building also bordered the Gesù church. Fortunately, there were no casualties as a result of the collapse – the building was left empty, but a team of sniffer dogs had been called in to search the rubble for any squatters.
Three cars were damaged in the landslide.
Car and tram traffic hindered
As the remaining part of the building may not be stable and could collapse as well, traffic on Rue Royale, between Rue Brialmont and Rue Saint-Franciscus, was suspended in both directions as part of a safety zone managed by the local authorities and the police.
The building on Wednesday morning. Credit: The Brussels Times
On Wednesday morning, cars were still not allowed to enter the street and the tram lines 92 and 93 were not able to pass through the street.
"Both tram lines are interrupted between Place Liedts and Place Poelaert, which is quite a big and important part of the route serviced by the tram," public transport operator STIB's spokesperson Guy Sablon told The Brussels Times.
He recommended that the affected commuters use alternatives above ground or take the metro between Louise and Botanique.
The Brussels Fire Brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw told The Brussels Times that the follow-up of the incident is being carried out by the municipal services and the contractor. "According to the available information, traffic will be disrupted until tomorrow [ed. Thursday]."
