At least six people killed in Belgian apartment block fire

At least six people have been killed in a fire at an apartment block in Belgium, police have said.

The fire in the city of Antwerp has left many more injured and started on the eighth floor of the building, which is home to more than 200 people in 80 apartments.

Residents, who were evacuated from the 10-storey building in the city's Linkeroever neighbourhood, revealed how they had been unable to "get down on our own" due to the smoke and needed to be rescued.

Rescuers were seen lowering residents from the side of the building using rope, according to the Reuters news agency.

The fire department received a call at 9.53am local time regarding a "raging fire".

The blaze was caused by a technical failure on the ground floor of the building, Antwerp police said.

The top floors of the block appeared to have been worst hit by the fire.

Geert Dewulf, who lives on the tenth floor, told Belgian broadcaster VRTNWS: "First the electricity went out, three minutes later we got a fire alarm.

"By then, there was already smoke in the hallways.

"We tried to get down on our own, but we couldn't manage it anymore.

"We barricaded ourselves in our apartment and waited on the terrace.

"About 10 minutes later, the fire department came to rescue us from the terrace with their fire ladder."

Residents living close to the scene were being told to keep their windows and doors closed due to the amount of smoke, police said.

Firefighters had to battle the blaze in difficult conditions due to its size and intensity, officials added.

Those who were evacuated were taken to a local shelter.

In a post on social media, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, said his "thoughts are with the victims and the evacuated residents of the terrible fire on Linkeroever".

"My deep appreciation goes out to the emergency services who are striving to help the many affected people as quickly and safely as possible, and who are working hard to bring the fire under control," he added.

Linkoeroever is in the eastern part of Antwerp and is a large residential area dotted by high-rise apartment buildings and bordering a major park where outdoor summer music concerts are held.

(c) Sky News 2026: At least six people killed in Belgian apartment block fire