Eighteen people have died since Wednesday in Belgium due to the floods which devastated much of the country. This official assessment given at midday Friday by the national crisis center could still increase. Nineteen people are still missing, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said in a statement.
Water was gradually withdrawing from the flooded areas on Friday and relief workers expected to find more victims. “We can expect unpleasant surprises,” said Antoine Iseux, spokesperson for the crisis center. For their part, some Belgian media reported at least 23 deaths recorded in the morning.
Cork particularly affected
The province of Liège in the east of the country is the most affected by the floods and concentrates most of the relief operations. The municipalities of Verviers and Pepinster alone have recorded at least ten deaths.
In Pepinster, on the banks of the Vesdre, around twenty houses have collapsed, according to mayor Philippe Godin. “We have about ten people deceased and nearly ten people of whom we have no news,” said the elected official.