Excavator explodes under a railway bridge in Antwerp

An accident with a truck caused disruptions in Antwerp on Wednesday after an excavator exploded under at a bridge. The truck tried to enter the city on Wednesday morning but did not take the height of the excavator into account. As a result, it crashed into the underside of a railway bridge at the junction of Noordersingel with the Turnhoutsebaan in Borgerhout.

"The excavator caught fire and there was also an explosion," says Wouter Bruyns of the Antwerp local police. "This was accompanied by an enormous amount of smoke.

Ten or so residents were evacuated from their homes, and train traffic was shut down. The fire brigade put out the fire, and the city engineer arrived to check the stability of the bridge.

Car traffic was not possible in both directions for a long time at the accident site but has since resumed. The accident also had consequences for De Lijn's bus traffic.

Alle werkzaamheden ter plaatse zijn beëindigd. Het kruispunt en de brug werden volledig vrijgegeven. https://t.co/wWrBY5mfiM

— Politie Antwerpen (@PZAntwerpen) March 27, 2019

The Brussels Times