Heavy gas explosion in Turnhout: apartment complex building largely collapsed | Abroad

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 have been deployed en masse. There is no word yet on possible victims. 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.

“There is a lot of rubble on the street,” says 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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