The body of a 36-year-old worker who went missing after a warehouse collapsed in the Droogdokkenweg area of Antwerp has been found.
The building partially collapsed around midday on Thursday. Two workers were present at the time of the incident. One was critically injured and taken to the hospital, while the other remained unaccounted for.
The collapse happened due to the demolition of the former boiler factory, where part of the building collapsed, De Standaard reports.
"Two workers were on site at the time," confirmed Kim Bastiaens, spokesperson for the Antwerp police. "One was located and taken to Cadix Hospital in critical condition."
Search dogs were deployed to locate the missing worker, whose body was discovered at approximately 3 pm.
This image shows the scene where a warehouse collapsed, on the Eilandje in the city centre of Antwerp on Thursday 04 December 2025. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
"Everything suddenly fell down", an eyewitness told the Gazet van Antwerpen. "It took maybe ten seconds. Then they shouted a name for a long time, because there was someone else under the rubble."
The Ketelmakerij was the workshop where parts of ships, such as boilers, pipes and metal structures were made, repaired or adapted.
The building is being renovated while retaining its current industrial character, De Standaard reports.
