Several people have died and at least six remain missing after a fire swept through the Oxy tower, a building under renovation at Place de Brouckère in central Brussels, on Tuesday morning. Bodies were discovered in one of two lift shafts at the site, where a spokesperson for a local workers' safety organisation reported seeing two or three dead inside an elevator.
The blaze broke out around 8 a.m. on the second floor and spread through the building, including down a lift shaft to the second basement level. More than 200 construction workers were present when the fire started. Two workers were hospitalised with serious burns and a firefighter was treated for heatstroke.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The Oxy tower is being converted to house apartments, a hotel, and restaurants. Firefighters were still searching for possible additional victims later in the day.