Belgium’s emergency call centres received more than 12,000 calls on Friday as Storm Austen hit, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday afternoon.
The 112 line, which is reserved for life-threatening emergencies, handled 10,029 calls on its own.
The 1722 service, used for fire brigade call-outs that do not involve immediate danger to life, received 1,345 calls. The 1733 number for non-urgent medical assistance recorded 675 calls.
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Activity peaked between 15:00 and 17:00, when the centres received 3,831 calls.
A second surge was recorded between 21:00 and 22:00, with a further 729 calls, as authorities confirmed that the call centres were saturated.
The Federal Public Service Interior urged the public to keep the 112 number for life-threatening emergencies only and to use the 1722.be online portal for non-urgent requests for fire brigade assistance.
