©picture alliance/dpa | Michael Brandt
There is deep shock at the Limburg-based metal company On Time Metalworks in Alken after four of their employees lost their lives in the severe fire at the OXY building in Brussels. Among the fatalities are the managing director of the young company and three employees.
On Wednesday morning, the three surviving colleagues and the other co-manager gathered at the company’s warehouse on the Kolmen industrial park. According to their manager, Philip, the blow is immense. “I worked with some of them for ten to fifteen years,” he said, visibly shaken, to Het Nieuwsblad. According to the company, the victims all lived in the neighborhood, which makes the shock in Alken even greater.
Elevator cable snapped
The fire broke out on Tuesday in the OXY building on De Brouckèreplein, where renovation work was underway at the time. The Brussels Labor Inspectorate later confirmed that a snapped elevator cable caused the elevator, carrying six workers, to plummet. The exact cause of the cable snapping is still under investigation. Two other workers suffered severe burns and remain in critical but stable condition in the hospital. The identification of the victims is still underway, but the Labor Inspectorate believes there are five Belgians and one Romanian among them. Four of the Belgian victims worked for On Time Metalworks. Investigators are also working to determine exactly which of the missing persons correspond to the bodies that have been found; DNA samples have been collected from family members for this purpose.
For those left behind at OTM, it is a harsh reality. “We’re at work today, but we don’t know what to do,” says one of the employees in an emotional interview with Het Nieuwsblad. The company was normally scheduled to go on collective leave next week, but that prospect is now completely overshadowed by grief and uncertainty. The Brussels site remains sealed off for the time being. Experts and fire investigators are still examining all floors of the building. Only once the full report is complete and the Occupational Health and Safety Inspectorate gives the green light can the seal be lifted.
©picture alliance/dpa | Michael Brandt