All schools in three municipalities of Diest, Aarschot and Westerlo in the province of Flemish-Brabant, were evacuated on Wednesday morning, after someone threatened to detonate a bomb. "We organised everything to evacuate the schools," police officer Jan Vanhauwere confirmed to Het Nieuwsbald. All students were assembled at the evacuation points of their schools.
The general public was asked to avoid the surroundings of Aarschot, Diest and Westerlo, "so that the police and social workers can do their work," the mayors of the municipalities said, adding that they would rather be safe than sorry.
The students' parents have been notified of the bomb threat and were asked to come and pick up their children at the assembly points. The Aarschot students are received in the Sportcentre Demervallei.
According to unconfirmed sources, someone threatened in a phone call to the Antwerp fire service to detonate a bomb in one of the schools in one of the three municipalities at 10:00 AM, reported Het Nieuwsblad. Other sources say that a man posted a letter to the Westerlo police station around 3:00 AM on Wednesday night.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
