6 dead in building fire in Brussels

Six people were confirmed dead in a fire that broke out Tuesday morning at the OXY building construction site in central Brussels, Belgian media reported, citing the Brussels Labor Prosecutor's Office, reported Xinhua.

"We managed to open the first lift and found the six victims inside," Valentina Marocchi, spokesperson for the Labor Prosecutor's Office was quoted as saying.

"The bodies have been retrieved, but it is not yet known with certainty whether they are the six workers who had been reported missing," she said.

A second lift still needs to be checked to ensure that there are no additional victims, according to the reports.

The fire broke out at about 8:00 a.m. at the OXY building in De Brouckere Square, which is undergoing extensive renovation.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the building. Citing Brussels fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw, local media reported that flames spread into a lift shaft.

The fire was later brought under control, while search and rescue teams continued to inspect the lift shafts.

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said 250 workers had been evacuated from the building and taken to a nearby municipal administrative building. "I do not recall such a deadly fire in the City of Brussels. The scale of the casualties is deeply alarming to us," he said.

Belgian King Philippe and Prime Minister Bart De Wever visited the scene on Tuesday afternoon, meeting and thanking firefighters involved in the rescue operation.

The Oxy building is being redeveloped into a complex that will include offices, housing, retail space, restaurants and a hotel. The building is currently unoccupied.

Close said forensic experts, the Brussels Labor Prosecutor's Office and the police were working together to determine what had happened. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.