Belgium: 3 homes collapse in Antwerp after explosion; several trapped under rubble

An explosion has triggered 3 homes to collapse in Antwerp, Belgium on Tuesday, according to media reports. The incident reportedly happened at Wilrijk municipality in Belgium at around 12:30 pm local time (04:00 pm IST).

Emergency crews freed one person from the debris, but others might still be trapped in the southern suburb of Wilrijk, the city's fire service said. The rescue operation is underway in Antwerp.

Antwerp's mayor Bart De Wever has also tweeted in Dutch about the incident. He confirmed that it was a gas explosion while promising an investigation into the matter.

Wilrijk werd vanmiddag opgeschrikt door een vreselijke gasontploffing. Onze dank gaat uit naar de hulpdiensten die nu bezig zijn met opvang en een reddingsactie. Een onderzoek zal volgen. Onze gedachten zijn bij de slachtoffers en hun naasten. Antwerpen zal hen alle steun bieden.

— Bart De Wever (@Bart_DeWever) September 3, 2019

Update: 3 people have reportedly been rescued but all of them have suffered serious injuries, while 2 others are still trapped, Mirror Now has reported also saying that a nearby school was also evacuated due to impact of the explosion.