Overview
- Emergency services received the first call about a fire on the eighth floor of a ten‑storey building in Linkeroever at 09:53 and scrambled firefighters and rescue teams to the scene.
- Local officials and VRT report a provisional toll of at least six people killed and several injured, some with serious injuries.
- Authorities say they do not yet know how many residents were inside the building when the blaze began, so casualty figures could still change.
- Firefighters and police say operations will continue for hours and that evacuations and on‑site searches are still under way.
- Neighbors have been ordered to stay indoors with windows and ventilation systems closed because of heavy smoke, and investigators have not yet announced a cause.