6 Dead, Many Injured in High-Rise Apartment Fire in Belgium

▲ Fire at a high-rise apartment in Antwerp, Belgium

At least six people have died and many others were injured after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Antwerp, Belgium's second-largest city, on Wednesday (July 1) local time, according to the local public broadcaster VRT.

Local police stated that the fire started at around 10:00 a.m. in a 10-story apartment building in the Linkeroever district of Antwerp, confirming that six people have died so far.

Local media reported that with several people suffering from various injuries and search operations continuing for residents presumed to have been trapped inside their homes at the time of the fire, the possibility of the death toll rising cannot be ruled out.

Police explained that approximately 200 people were living in the apartment building and that they are currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Reuters reported that rescue workers were seen using ropes and fire ladders to evacuate residents who had taken refuge on the terraces of the upper floors to escape the thick smoke that quickly spread throughout the building.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who previously served as the mayor of Antwerp, expressed his condolences to the victims via social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

While detached houses or small-scale multi-family dwellings are more common in Belgium than high-rise apartments, Antwerp, which houses Europe's second-largest port, has a higher density of high-rise apartments compared to other regions due to its high population density.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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