Six dead after fire at Brussels construction project – investigators do not rule out further victims

Investigators do not rule out further victims

At the time of the fire, approximately 250 construction workers were on the site, according to authorities. The responsible public prosecutor stated, „mindestens sechs Menschen sind gestorben, wie der zuständige Staatsanwalt mitteilt." All of the dead had been in the same fallen elevator, said an employee of the public prosecutor's office.

The public prosecutor's office did not rule out that additional victims could still be found. „Nicht auszuschliessen, dass hier noch weitere Tote gefunden werden", der Staatsanwalt sagte. The fire department responded, extinguished the fire – and subsequently carried out a walk-through inspection of the enormous construction site.

The public prosecutor also reported that the incident had begun with a relatively small fire on the second floor of the complex. „Los ging laut einem Staatsanwalt alles mit einem vermeintlich kleinen Feuer auf der zweiten Etage des Komplexes." The fire subsequently spread through the elevator shaft.

Difficult rescue operations at a large construction site

The rescue workers were unable to reach the victims for hours. „Einen zweiten Lift konnten die Helfer noch nicht öffnen." The responsible public prosecutor also stated that many areas of the construction site had been difficult to access: „Viele Orte waren extrem schwer zugänglich", berichtet der Staatsanwalt weiter.

Among the injured are two construction workers who were taken to a hospital. In addition, a firefighter suffered heatstroke during the operation and was also hospitalized, as a fire department spokesperson said: „Zwei Arbeiter kamen zudem ins Spital, ebenso ein Feuerwehrmann, der im Einsatz einen Hitzschlag erlitt, wie ein Feuerwehrsprecher berichtete."

Political reactions from Belgium

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close spoke of a tragedy that deeply affects everyone. He pledged support for all those affected and thanked the rescue workers for their efforts. Mayor Close also promised that the city would stand by those affected.

Belgium's Interior Minister Bernard Quintin also expressed his shock on X. Meanwhile, in addition to Belgium's King Philippe, Prime Minister Bart De Wever also arrived at the cordoned-off building as the recovery of the first bodies began.

Immobel speaks of human tragedy

The project developer Immobel responded to the incident with a written statement. „Unsere Gedanken sind zuallererst bei den Betroffenen, ihren Familien und ihren Kollegen. Für uns alle ist dies vor allem eine menschliche Tragödie." The company also stated that it is supporting the rescue and security services as well as the authorities and is in close coordination with all parties involved.

Immobel said it had learned with deep dismay of the victims of the fire at the construction site. The company also pledged full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

The Brussels public prosecutor stated that six of the approximately 250 workers at the construction site were missing. After five people were initially found dead, the search for the sixth person was subsequently carried out and they have since been found.

Cause still unclear – investigations underway

The rescue operations were described as extremely difficult by the public prosecutor's office. Due to the heavy smoke and the heat in the elevator shaft, the rescuers were unable to immediately reach those trapped. Even hours after the actual fire, parts of the construction site were still not fully accessible.

The cause of the fire remains unclear. The public prosecutor's office announced investigations into the cause of the fire as well as into the working conditions at the major construction site. The responsible Belgian occupational safety authorities were also called in to reconstruct the sequence of events.

The incident triggered a broad debate in Belgium about safety at major construction sites. Unions called for a swift investigation and expressed their condolences to the victims' families. The City of Brussels set up a contact point for relatives and colleagues of those affected.