A barge has sunk on the River Scheldt at Grembergen, near Dendermonde (East Flanders). The barge is reported to be a Dutch vessel that was carrying bricks. The emergency service received a call from a cyclist that was riding along the banks of the river at around 10:45am on Monday.
They rushed to the scene and set about searching for those that had been on board the barge.
In a statement issued just before lunchtime, police spokesman Patrick Feys told VRT News that “This is an inland waterways vessel of 50 metres in length. Together with the Fire Service we are now looking for those that were on board. We don't yet know what has happened to the skipper or other crew members. We hope that they managed to get to safety. Sniffer dogs have also been deployed.”
At 2:30pm the captain of the barge was still missing. Shipping on the River Scheldt has been halted to allow the search to continue unhindered.