A fourth dead body was found last night in the rubble of the apartment building in Hoboken (Antwerp), where a large explosion occurred on Thursday morning. Emergency services are now looking for at least one more missing person.
Three deceased victims, including a child, had already been found during the day on Thursday. Five people were also injured. The search operation continued throughout the night and is still ongoing.
"We really want to make sure there is no one left in the building," police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told VRT. "The clearance work is proceeding with difficulty. The stability of the building is problematic. The fire brigade has to work extremely carefully."
The police assume that there are still people under the rubble, but are not certain. "We will keep working until we are 100% certain," Bastiaens said.
Possible gas explosion
It was reported on Thursday night that two more people were missing who may have been in the building at the time of the explosion. The fourth fatality was discovered during the night.
King Philippe visited the site of the explosion on Friday morning together with outgoing Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) and Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA). The monarch met with on-site rescue workers and received updates about the search for victims.
King Philippe greeting workers at the site of the explosion. Credit: Belga
The police are keeping everyone at a safe distance, but many local residents are gathering around the exploded building. They are still deeply affected by the events.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. While the scene is reminiscent of a gas explosion, this has still not been confirmed. The manager of the gas network Fluvius established that the meters in the building are intact, meaning the explosion did not occur where gas enters the building. "It is still too early to make any statements about the cause; we are still surveying everything," police said.
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The explosion happened just before 06:30 on the Sint-Bernardsesteenweg on Thursday. The blast was particularly intense, and destroyed the windows of several other buildings in the area.
The first fatality (a 44-year-old man) was found on Thursday morning, and two other bodies were recovered in the late afternoon and evening. At around 16:00, crane works started to clear the blown-off roof and top floor of the building hit by an explosion. In the process, large debris fell.
De Wever also visited the scene at around 12:00 on Thursday, together with Antwerp Governor Cathy Berx.
