Two dead in suspected gas blast in Belgium’s Antwerp: police

Belgian rescuers found two dead bodies early Tuesday at the site of a powerful suspected gas explosion in the port city of Antwerp that also injured 40 people, police said.

The blast late Monday, which police say is not linked to terrorism, collapsed or severely damaged several buildings in the Paardenmarkt area of central Antwerp, a Dutch-speaking city in northern Belgium.

“Police confirm two more victims found under the rubble, both deceased. The victims have not yet been identified,” Antwerp police said on Twitter.

Several people were pulled alive from the rubble on Monday night.

“Research into the cause of the explosion at Paardenmarkt continues,” it added.

Belgium’s French-language broadcaster RTBF reported that a gas leak was suspected as the cause of the blast at around 9:30pm (2030 GMT) Monday, though it had yet to be confirmed.

Police said the explosion was not related to terrorism, while Belgium has been on a high state of alert since 16 people were killed in suicide bombings in the capital Brussels in March 2016.