Antwerp building collapse explained

Date:18 June 2021
Location:Antwerp, Belgium
Type:building collapse
Reported Deaths:5
Reported Injuries:20

On 18 June 2021, a building collapse occurred at a school construction site in Antwerp, Belgium.[1] Five construction workers were killed and 20 more wounded.[2]

Event

The disaster happened on a new development project where a new primary school was being constructed in the suburb of Nieuw Zuid.[3] The construction workers were mostly Portuguese and Romanian, employed legally and living in the Antwerp area. On the afternoon of 18 June, scaffolding and parts of the building collapsed. The cause is unknown. The project was developed by Compagnie-O architects and executed by the construction firm Democo,[4] The victims were all foreign workers, including three Portuguese nationals, one Russian and one Romanian.[5]

The Belga news agency reported that the sub-contractors worked for construction firm Democo.[6]

Response

The following day, King Philippe of Belgium and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo visited the site and spoke with emergency workers.[7] An investigation is underway.[8]

See also

References

  1. News: 2021-06-19. Antwerp: Five construction workers killed in school building site collapse. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-06-20.
  2. Web site: 2021-06-18. 1 person dead and around 20 injured as building collapses at Antwerp construction site. 2021-06-20. vrtnws.be. en.
  3. Web site: Belgium school collapse kills five. 2021-06-20. au.news.yahoo.com. en-AU.
  4. Web site: 2021-06-19. Third body recovered from school collapse in Antwerp. 2021-06-20. The Brussels Times. en.
  5. Web site: Belgium: Five people killed after school building site collapses in Antwerp. 2021-06-22. Sky News. en.
  6. Web site: Agence France-Presse. 2021-06-20. Five construction workers die in Belgium school collapse. 2021-06-22. the Guardian. en.
  7. Web site: 2021-06-20. Five workers confirmed dead after school collapses in Antwerp, Belgium. 2021-06-20. South China Morning Post. en.
  8. Web site: hermesauto. 2021-06-19. Five dead in Belgium school collapse. 2021-06-20. The Straits Times. en.