Several dead as inferno rips through apartment block in Belgium

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:41 BST, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 12:04 BST, 1 July 2026

Several people have died in a fire that tore through an apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp.The local fire department received a call at 9:53am on Wednesday regarding a 'raging fire' on the eighth floor of a 10-floor apartment block in the Linkeroever area of Antwerp, according to police. The building, which has been evacuated, was home to more than 200 people, the police said, adding that several people were injured.Footage showed a resident climbing through a window and hanging over a balcony as thick plumes of smoke surrounded him in a desperate attempt to escape the inferno. 'We ask local residents affected by the smoke to close windows and doors and, if necessary, switch off ventilation,' police said. Several fire brigades from different districts were on site.Police have not released the exact number of people who have died, but authorities said that several more people suffered serious injuries. It is unclear how the fire broke out. Several were killed in the city of Antwerp after a fire broke out in an apartment building. Pictured: Firefighters pictured at the scene of a fire in an apartment building in the August Vermeylenlaan street in Antwerp on Wednesday 01 July 2026 The building was home to more than 200 peopleAccording to one resident, who spoke to local media, work was being carried out on the building's main fusebox. Evacuated residents have been put in temporary accommodation, spokesperson for the Antwerp fire brigade Marie De Clerq confirmed. She added that firefighters were 'still fully engaged in extinguishing the fire and searching for other possible victims,' adding that the building was still not under control on Wednesday afternoon. Resident Geert Dewulf, who lives on the 10th floor, told local outlet VRT News: 'The electricity went out, three minutes later we got a fire alarm. By then, there was already smoke in the hallways.'We tried to get down on our own, but we couldn't manage it anymore. We barricaded ourselves in our apartment and waited on the terrace. 'About 10 minutes later, the fire department came to rescue us from the terrace with their fire ladder,' he added. Antwerp's mayor Els van Doesburg is at the scene of the fire .This is a breaking news story, more to follow.