Blast at Antwerp home leaves six in hospital, including a toddler
An explosive device was set off at the front door of a house in Antwerp's Luchtbal district overnight, injuring six residents.
An explosive device went off at the front door of a house in Antwerp's Luchtbal district overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, sending six residents to hospital, Belgian media reported. Five adults and a child under two were taken for treatment after breathing in smoke from the blast, according to De Standaard and Het Belang van Limburg.
The device exploded outside the entrance of a home on Columbiastraat, French-language outlet 7sur7 reported. The blast caused material damage to the building and produced a large amount of smoke in and around the property.
None of the six people hurt suffered injuries directly from the explosion itself. All were hospitalised for smoke inhalation after breathing in the fumes it produced, 7sur7 said, and their conditions have not been given in the reports available.
7sur7 described the blast as an attack that targeted the home, without naming anyone responsible or giving a reason for it. It is not known from the available reports whether police have identified any suspects.
What we know
- An explosive device went off at the front door of a home in Antwerp's Luchtbal district overnight, Belgian media reported.
- Six residents, five adults and a child under two, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, according to De Standaard and Het Belang van Limburg.
- The blast, at a house on Columbiastraat, caused material damage and a large amount of smoke, 7sur7 reported.
- No suspect or motive has been identified in the reports available.
Why it matters for Europe
None of the six people hospitalised were hurt directly by the blast itself; all were treated for smoke inhalation, showing how a device aimed at a single front door put an entire household at risk through fire and fumes rather than the explosion alone. 7sur7 described the incident as an attack targeting the home, but Belgian authorities have not said, in the reports available, whether they are treating it as a targeted criminal act or given any further detail on a motive.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 1 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What happened in Antwerp?
- An explosive device was set off at the entrance of a home in the Luchtbal district, and six people who inhaled smoke from the blast were taken to hospital.
- How badly were people hurt?
- Five adults and a child under two were hospitalised for smoke inhalation; none was reported to have been injured directly by the blast.
- Has anyone been arrested?
- No suspect or motive has been identified in the reports available.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.