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| Belgium: Five bodies recovered after fire breaks out in Oxy building in Brussels |
The Brussels prosecutor's office stated that five bodies were found after a fire broke out at a construction site in a building in the center of the Belgian capital.
The prosecutor's office said one person was still missing, noting that "the possibility of finding more bodies here cannot be ruled out."
A prosecutor said it started as a small fire on the second floor of the complex, and the fire brigade responded and extinguished the fire, then conducted an inspection tour of the huge construction site, adding that several places were accessed.
He added that emergency services eventually managed to make their way to one of the elevators and found several bodies inside the cabin.
Local media initially reported that several bodies were found in an elevator, and that there were about 250 workers on site when the fire broke out on Tuesday.
As the first bodies were being recovered, King Philippe of Belgium and Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived outside the building, which had been cordoned off over a wide area, and made no public statements.
The Oxy building, located in a pedestrian zone in central Brussels, is currently undergoing renovation. It was previously used as the headquarters for the Belgian capital's administration, but is now slated to be converted into a multi-functional building housing offices, restaurants, hotel rooms, and residential apartments.
According to previous information, the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, and the two companies responsible for the project are Whitewood and Immobil.
