Following reports of a bomb threat, students from a school in the municipality of Merksem, near Antwerp, were evacuated on Monday afternoon. The threat turned out to be a hoax but one that shocked the town, which is still dealing with the aftermath of previous violent incidents.
After police received a report that "something was going to explode," the school on Gagelveldenstraat was forced to evacuate its 1,500 students and teachers. As a result, they all congregated at a neighbouring football field.
Subsequently, police conducted a sweep of the premises and declared that there was no immediate danger. An investigation has since been launched into the individual responsible for filing the false report.
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Nonetheless, this will have done little to reassure the municipality's residents who have experienced an increase in drug-related violence. Last week, an 11-year-old girl was killed in crossfire between two rival drug gangs.