Alken Organizes Silent Vigil and Opens Mourning Registers for Victims of Brussels Building Fire

The municipality of Alken is preparing to host a silent vigil and has opened mourning registers in its town hall to honor the four workers who perished in a devastating fire at the Oxy building in Brussels. The victims were employed by OTM, a metal processing company.

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The silent vigil next Saturday is at the request of the companies on the Kolmen industrial estate. People there show a lot of solidarity.

The initiative, organized at the request of businesses located in the Kolmen industrial area, aims to provide a space for community members to express their condolences and solidarity. Mayor Marc Penxten (N-VA) stated that the impact of the tragedy has deeply affected many residents, who feel a strong connection to the families of the deceased.

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It should be a moment when people can show their sympathy and say goodbye together.

"People there show a lot of solidarity," Penxten said, emphasizing the desire of local businesses to come together in remembrance. The town hall will provide four mourning registers where residents can leave messages for the victims' families and colleagues. This effort also partially fulfills a request from OTM itself, as many people had visited the company to offer support, but the firm needed to focus on managing the aftermath of the tragedy.

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Many people went to the company to express their support to the bereaved and colleagues. But within the company, the focus was naturally on processing the tragedy and arranging practical matters. That is why we offered to provide a mourning register in the town hall, so that people can express their sympathy there.