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| Situation Update No. 2 Ref.no.: EX-20100127-24707-BEL
Situation Update No. 2
On 2010-01-28 at 04:37:52 [UTC]
Event: Explosion
Location: Belgium Province de Liege Liege
Number of Deads: 7 person(s)
Number of Injured: 21 person(s)
Number of Evacuated: 50 person(s)
Situation: Rescue workers have recovered seven bodies from the rubble of an apartment building in Belgium that collapsed after an apparent gas explosion. At least 21 people were injured, including two who are in a critical condition. The bodies were found well over half-a-day after the five-floor building, in Liege, exploded at 2am (local time) and collapsed at dawn. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Margaux Donckier said it was unclear if more victims were buried under the twisted metal, wood and bricks from the century-old building. Earlier there was a moment of hope as rescue workers pulled a 13-year-old girl out from the rubble hours after the explosion. The girl was said to be "doing well" in hospital by Liege police spokeswoman Veronique Baccus. "We are still looking for people in the rubble, though we are not sure who's there," Ms Baccus said earlier. "We had oral contact with two people who had not been rescued by the time the front facade collapsed." She explained that until they could verify exactly how many people were in the buildings at the time of the explosion it was impossible to say precisely how many were unaccounted for. Some 50 other people needed shelter after leaving their damaged homes, with some looking for family and friends. A local hotel offered free rooms while a crisis center was opened in a nearby church, with food and camp beds available. Other buildings in the historic town were also damaged by the blast. Belgium's King Albert II was due to visit the area later in the day. The blast was apparently caused by a domestic gas explosion, but police have launched an investigation to determine exactly what happened. On Saturday a resident of the building in question contacted emergency services saying he could smell gas, local councilor Willy Demeyer told reporters. However, no gas leak was discovered then, he added. The Liege fire service said that one fireman was lightly injured. |  | | | |
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