Eight missing after heavy explosion in Turnhout: building largely collapsed | Abroad

According to Belgian media, ten people are said to be present in the building. One person is said to have been rescued and taken to hospital.

An elderly woman, who lives on the first floor, is still under the rubble, but emergency services are in contact with her. “We are now trying to find out who is still present in that apartment block,” the police told the VRT. Eight people are still being sought, the mayor of Turnhout confirms. It is not known whether the eight people were at home at the time of the explosion.

The police are calling on people to avoid the area around Boeren Krijglaan and Steenweg op Gierle. Images show that half floors have collapsed due to the bang.

Emergency services mobilized for the explosion. Police have brought sniffer dogs to search for people under the rubble and there is an excavator to pick up debris. A special medical plan has also been announced to help any victims as quickly as possible. The middle part of the building with four homes has collapsed, reports Het Nieuwsblad. The rest of the building sustained heavy damage.

The whole neighborhood was startled by an infernal noise. “I was just on the phone with my girlfriend when I heard a very loud bang,” says Frans Caers (69), a man who lives in the apartment building across the street. “The glass was inside my apartment. I was still in my pajamas and I stayed inside for a while because of fear.”

Another neighbor from Boeren Krijglaan is also deeply impressed. “I was downstairs when suddenly there was a huge noise. Everything vibrated in the house. My son immediately called the fire brigade,” she says.

The debris would have been thrown hundreds of meters by the explosion. Several cars in the area were damaged by flying debris.

“There is a lot of rubble on the street,” said a local resident. “I suspect there are a number of injured people. I haven’t seen anyone leave the building yet.”

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