ANTWERP: At least six people were killed in a fire in a 10-storey apartment tower in the Belgian city of Antwerp on Wednesday, police told local media. Rescuers were lowering residents from the side of the building by rope. Survivors described being trapped inside until police and firefighters arrived shortly after the blaze started in the morning.
"First the electricity went out. Three minutes later we got a fire alarm. By then, there was already smoke in the hallways", Geert Dewulf, who lives on the 10th floor, said. "We tried to get down on our own but we couldn't manage it anymore. We barricaded ourselves in our apartment and waited on the terrace. About 10 minutes later, the fire department came to rescue us from the terrace with their fire ladder."
Several fire brigades from different districts were on site, as were ambulances and other emergency crews. Police told residents nearby to keep doors and windows closed to avoid harm from the smoke. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, said on X that his thoughts were with the victims. Belgium has experienced a series of severe blazes in the past weeks, including one in a warehouse in Brussels. — Reuters
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