Explosion in Antwerp - Police search for missing persons among the rubble

Several people were injured in an explosion in Antwerp, Belgium. People are still buried under the rubble, police said at noon on Twitter.

For this reason rescue teams search for the missing persons with dogs. Two people have already been rescued alive. One of them was seriously injured, reported the Belgian news agency Belga.

Three buildings have been destroyed by the explosion. The rescuers were with a large contingent on site. The police did not give any information about the cause of the explosion. They want to concentrate on saving the spilled people. The incident had occurred around 12.20 clock.

Intussen is a tweede slachtoffer levend van onder het puin gehaald. Met honden wordt verder gezocht naar vermisten. Dienstencentrum Valaar is geopend voor hit bewoners en hun family. #explosie #wilrijk pic.twitter.com/9jcZmA0rVd

The police called for avoiding the area and not disturbing the forces. "Let the emergency services do their job."

According to media reports, the incident occurred in a residential area in the south of the city. A video of the police shows a row of houses in which a big hole gapes.

Wilrijk becomes vanmiddag opgeschrikt door een vreselijke gasontploffing. Onze thanks gaat uit naar de hulpdiensten the nu bezig zijn met opvang enen reddingsactie. An onderzoek zal volgen. Onze thought of the bij de slachtoffers en hun naasten. Antwerpen all steun bieden.

Antwerp's mayor Bart De Wever wrote on Twitter of a "horrible gas explosion" and expressed concern: "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families." The city will offer the victims support.