The body of the man from Charleroi who went missing after a riverboat sank on the Scheldt earlier this month has been found on the vessel during a salvage operation.
The search for the missing man and the salvage of the riverboat, which sank on 7 August on the Scheldt River off the town of Grembergen (part of the Dendermonde municipality), started three days ago. Strong currents on the river and tides made the salvage operation a complex task. During the search, river traffic on the Scheldt was halted.
On Wednesday, 57 people were deployed for the operation. Civil Protection deployed 14 people, six of whom were divers with two vessels, while 32 police officers were on site, many from neighbouring police zones. The marine police, the Federal Victim Assistance Unit, the Missing Persons Cell and Victim Identification were also involved.
The vessel was loaded with bricks posing a further challenge to the salvage team. It was partially pulled above the water on Wednesday but the team was not able to board the vessel, even later on in the night, as it needed further stabilisation.
By Thursday morning, the East Flanders public prosecutor's office and the Dendermonde city council confirmed that the body of the man, who was the only person on board (he was accompanied by a 16-year-old German shepherd and a two-year-old Chihuahua) had been found by the salvage team.
The scene where a cargo ship sunk, on in Grembergen near Dendermonde. The ship from the company Jogo Logistics sunk in barely 15 minutes. Credit: Belga / Laurie Diefembacq
The family of the victim was present when the body, which will be transferred to UZ Antwerpen for an autopsy, was retrieved. They will be supported by the police victim assistance service.
"We express our condolences to the affected family, friends and acquaintances and thank the emergency services for their efforts," the Dendermonde public prosecutor's office and city council said.
On Wednesday evening, one of the dogs had already been found dead, which probably meant that both the skipper and his dogs did not manage to save themselves when the barge sank.
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Meanwhile, the salvage operation will continue as the vessel has to be further stabilised before it can be towed away for additional investigation by the appointed public prosecutor's expert.
The sinking boat was noticed by a cyclist riding along the Scheldt in Grembergen at around 10:45 on Monday 7 August. The witness immediately notified the emergency services, who arrived at the scene to search for those on board.
