Fire in Brussels: six dead and six missing
Five people were found dead in a lift in the complex, whilst six people are still missing
The death toll from the fire that broke out in the Oxy building in Brussels is rising. According to the Labour Inspectorate, at least six people are believed to have died, whilst search operations are still under way.
People trapped in lifts
“We cannot confirm the identities of the victims. We have found six bodies; the sixth has also been confirmed.” This was stated by Valentina Marocchi, the Labour Prosecutor in Brussels, speaking to journalists outside the Oxy complex in the city centre, where a fire broke out today. “We do not yet have any information on the victims” regarding their ages, and identification is underway with the help of their families. The causes of death have not yet been established, and we will have to await the experts’ findings. At present, the coroner is carrying out an initial post-mortem examination, which will be followed by a more detailed examination to determine the cause of death. “The lift fell, so the difficulty was in raising it high enough to gain access,” she explained, emphasising that this was an accident at work. According to initial reports, lift number 2 also plummeted, but work on this lift will begin once operations on lift number 1 have been completed. At present, the possibility of other bodies being present in the second lift cannot be ruled out. The investigation will continue over the coming days, and an expert is due to arrive tomorrow to ascertain the causes of the fire and assess the situation. According to initial reports, most of the victims, who were at work, are believed to be of Belgian origin, and there are also thought to be some young people among them. “This is the most serious workplace accident of the last 20 years,” according to the Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close.
Initial reports had suggested that at least six people were missing. It is not yet clear whether the five confirmed victims were part of that group. “The emergency services are continuing their search, so it is possible that the death toll may rise,” the Labour Inspectorate said, according to the Belgian newspaper De Standaard.
A fire broke out this morning at the Oxy Tower, a residential complex in the centre of Brussels which has recently been refurbished. According to local media reports, ‘several people were found dead in a lift’ in the complex, whilst ‘six people are still missing and the search for them is continuing’.
According to *Le Soir*, “a small fire had broken out on the second floor of the building that morning. The fire had been put out, but the flames had spread into the lift shaft, causing a fire inside it”.
