At least five killed in fire at Antwerp apartment building, say police

A devastating fire ripped through a 10-story apartment building in Antwerp's Linkeroever district on Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least five residents and leaving several others injured. The blaze erupted shortly before 10:00 local time, quickly engulfing the structure in thick, black smoke that billowed from the eighth floor.

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It's a heavy toll here at Linkeroever.

Dramatic scenes unfolded as residents desperately sought escape. One man was filmed climbing from his balcony into a neighbor's window to flee the smoke. Another resident described barricading himself and his family in their flat, awaiting rescue by the fire brigade's ladder from their balcony. Firefighters were engaged in a difficult search, moving from apartment to apartment in the dense smoke that had spread rapidly, hampering evacuation efforts.

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We barricaded ourselves into our flat and waited on the balcony. The fire brigade came to rescue us from the balcony 10 minutes or so later with their ladder.

Authorities confirmed that over 200 people reside in the building, and the bodies of multiple victims were discovered. Police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens described the scene as a "heavy toll." While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, witnesses reported ongoing work on the roof. Antwerp fire brigade spokeswoman Marie de Clercq noted the complexity of the fire, exacerbated by poor visibility and heavy smoke.

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It was a complex fire and the poor visibility and thick smoke in the building had made it difficult to put out.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed his condolences to the victims and evacuated residents, calling the incident a "terrible fire." The focus remains on the ongoing search and rescue operations and determining the cause of this tragic event.

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his thoughts were with the victims and the evacuated residents of the 'terrible fire' in Linkeroever.