At least five people died and several others were injured in a fire that broke out in a 10-storey apartment block in Antwerp. This was reported by the Belgian police.
The fire broke out this morning around 10 am and a dense column of smoke continues to rise from the eighth floor of the building located in the Linkeroever district. A video released to the BBC shows a man lowering himself from his balcony through a neighbour’s window to escape the flames. More than 200 people live in the condominium and the bodies of several victims have already been found. “The death toll in Linkeroever is heavy,” police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens told Belgian public television, adding that several people suffered injuries, both serious and minor. Police say it is too early to identify the cause of the fire, although some witnesses told De Standaard newspaper that work was underway on the roof.