Several people are being searched for under debris after a primary school under construction partly collapsed in Antwerp on Friday afternoon.
A dozen people have already been saved, however, several others are stuck under the rubble, resulting in the medical emergency plan being declared, the Antwerp Fire Brigade confirmed on Twitter
"Our colleagues have already freed around ten people. We are also in contact with some people under the rubble," the fire brigade said.
"We strongly urge you to stay away from the area, including local residents. Please give us the space we need to work!" it added.
#instorting #update Onze collega's bevrijdden reeds een 10-tal personen. We hebben ook contact met enkele personen onder het puin. Het MIP is afgekondigd. ‼ We vragen met nadruk om uit de omgeving weg te blijven, ook aan buurtbewoners. Geef ons de nodige ruimte om te werken!
— Brandweer Zone Antwerpen (@BZAntwerpen) June 18, 2021
De Standaard has reported that at least 20 people were injured, according to the Antwerp police, of whom most of them are thought to be workers who were working in the building.
The Nieuw Zuid area in the city is temporarily closed to traffic, whilst rescue dog teams and a drone are at the scene to help with the search.
Part of the school building, which was under construction and was expected to be opened on 1 September, as well as the scaffolding, collapsed. Images shared by the Antwerp Fire Brigade show that the top floor of the new building has partly come down.