BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least five people were killed 
and many more injured Wednesday when a fire broke out in a high-rise 
apartment block in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, police said.

A fire service spokeswoman said it was not yet known what caused the blaze, 
which broke out mid-morning in the building of around 80 apartments on the 
bank of the river Scheldt.

"At least five people have lost their lives in the fire and many others have 
been seriously injured," police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens told Flemish public 
broadcaster VRT.

She said rescue teams were still working to locate other possible victims.

Firefighters and medics deployed in large numbers to the scene, where 
television footage showed thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors 
of the building.

Resident Geert Dewulf, who lives on the 10th floor, told an AFP reporter at 
the scene he was dialled into a work meeting when he heard fire detectors go 
off and his wife saw smoke in the corridor.

"We went out onto the balcony and maybe eight or 10 minutes later 
firefighters came with a ladder to evacuate us," said the 67-year-old 
consultant.

"It was just masses of black smoke," said Dewulf, who told AFP he had been 
promised hotel accommodation but "had no idea" when he would be able to 
return home.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever praised the emergency services for their work in 
difficult conditions.

"My thoughts are with the victims and the residents evacuated after this 
terrible fire," De Wever wrote on X.