The Brussels fire brigade was called by a homeless person trapped in a cavity under the escalator in the Porte de Namur metro station on Tuesday evening. After an extensive search, the man was found at a depth of about seven metres underground.
On Tuesday evening around 18:00, the fire brigade received a call of a person trapped in a cavity under the Porte de Namur metro station. The emergency services were immediately alerted.
After intensive searches by the fire service's specialised Rescue In Safe Conditions (RISC) team and with assistance via telephone from the person (who spoke Spanish), he was located – at a depth of about seven metres underground.
"He had wormed his way in through a gap of about 35 cm. A cord was present in this opening, suggesting that this cavity is often used," said spokesperson Walter Derieuw. "However, the homeless person no longer had the necessary strength to crawl up on his own and called on our services."
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The man said that he had been trapped since 08:00 in the morning. Using his mobile phone, he called the emergency services himself. "Luckily, he had a mobile phone to alert the emergency services."
The man suffered some abrasions, but declined the offer to go to hospital for further examination and treatment.
Credit: Brussels fire service
