At least two people were killed, and at least six persons were missing after a fire erupted at a residential tower in Brussels which was undergoing renovation, AFP reported. More than 200 workers were employed at the site, known in Brussels as the Oxy Tower and located right in the city centre. Two persons suffered burns and and were earlier taken to the hospital for treatment, Swiss national news agency Keystone SDA reported.
The fire broke out early on Tuesday at the large renovation project on the central Place de Brouckere. A number of workers found themselves trapped in a lift as the blaze spread through the lift shaft, AFP reported. Rescuers found an unspecified number of bodies in one of two elevators at the site, a spokesman for the local labour inspection service said, according to Reuters news agency.
An initial blaze at the lower floors of the renovation project was contained relatively quickly, Belgian broadcaster VRT reported, citing the fire brigade.
Six missing, bodies of workers found in elevator cabinet
The spokesperson for the local labour inspection service, Brecht Speybrouck, told Reuters that the rescuers “had small access to one of the two elevator cabinets.” Rescuers had not managed to free the group by mid-afternoon, but Speybrouck said they were able to see several bodies inside the elevator cabin.
“…There we had a view that there are some corpses of two or three people who died,” Speybrouck added. However, the public prosecutor’s office said there was no access to the second elevator initially, Keystone SDA reported.
He said a total of six workers were unaccounted for and that it was unclear what had caused the fire. Flames allegedly went through the elevator shafts and caused a new blaze in an underground floor after the initial fire was contained. the firefighters said.
According to the fire department spokesperson, firefighters had been dispatched to a small fire on the second floor of the building. The bodies were found after the fire had been extinguished, Keystone SDA reported citing the district attorney.
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close called the incident a tragedy, and promised support for all those affected. The Oxy building, located in a pedestrian zone in the heart of downtown Brussels, is currently undergoing renovation. It formerly served as an administrative headquarters for the Belgian capital; now it is set to be converted into a multifunctional building with offices, restaurants, hotel rooms, and apartments, according to Keystone SDA.