Deadly Fire Sweeps Through 10-Storey Apartment Block in Belgium's Antwerp

ANTWERP, Belgium, July 1: Several people were killed and others injured after a fire broke out in a 10-storey apartment building in the Belgian city of Antwerp on Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response.

The blaze erupted shortly before 10 a.m. local time on the eighth floor of the residential block in the Linkeroever district, sending thick black smoke billowing from the building.

Police said more than 200 people live in the apartment complex as firefighters carried out rescue operations and searched the building for additional victims.

Dramatic footage from the scene showed one resident escaping the smoke by climbing from his balcony into a neighboring apartment through a window.

Resident Geert Dewulf told Belgian public television that he and others were trapped inside their apartment after smoke blocked their escape.

"We barricaded ourselves into our flat and waited on the balcony. The fire brigade came to rescue us from the balcony about 10 minutes later with their ladder," he said.

Firefighters said the smoke spread rapidly throughout the building, making evacuation difficult and forcing crews to conduct door-to-door searches for trapped residents.

Among those evacuated were relatives of former Antwerp mayor Bob Cools, who were taken to hospital, according to a family member.

Authorities have not yet released the exact number of fatalities or injuries, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.