Two people in danger after gas explosion in a house on Sint-Jansplein in Antwerp (Antwerp)

At a gas explosion in a house on Sint-Jansplein in Antwerp, four people were injured on Thursday evening. Two of them are in danger. The fire brigade and the emergency services are on site to evacuate the residents.

For a moment around 7 pm an explosion took place in the basement of an inhabited building on Sint-Jansplein. The explosion, probably caused by gas, caused considerable damage to the home. « There are a lot of windows cracked and there is a lot of glass on the street, » says police spokesman Kim Bastiaens of the Antwerp police zone. Four people were injured. Two of them are in danger.

Because of the bang there was mainly glass damage on the ground floor, where a furniture store is located, and in the apartment on the first floor. In the higher apartments, the interior doors mainly suffered under the impact.

Measured gas

The fire brigade initially received a call for a fire, but on arrival of the firefighters there was only smoke to be seen. « We have measured gas in the basement, so it may be a gas explosion, » the fire brigade says. « Fluvius and the disaster coordinator of the city of Antwerp are also in place. »

The emergency services have cleared the building. The disaster coordinator must investigate how large the damage is to the building and whether the building is still suitable for habitation. « The disaster coordinator will investigate whether the stability of the building is still in order. The residents will probably spend the night elsewhere. »

Further research will have to show what exactly went wrong.