The Fire service in Flemish Brabant Province received 408 calls due to the thunderstorm on Saturday. Limburg and Antwerp Province were also hit.
The fire service in Flemish Brabant received a total of 408 calls on Saturday relating to thunderstorms. Wouter Jeanfils of the Western division of the Flemish Brabant fire service:“178 of these calls went to the Eastern division of the Flemish Brabant emergency services zone, the other 230 were for our zone”.
In Leuven, a block of flats on Margarethaplein had to be evacuated, Leuven police say. “Probably due to blocked gutters, the large amount of rainwater could not drain away and began to seep into the building, resulting in severe water damage in several flats, particularly on the top floor,” police spokesperson Marc Vranckx said.
"Part of the ceiling also collapsed there. The residents of the five flats have had to find temporary accommodation elsewhere. Most were able to stay with friends or family. The residents of one flat were rehoused elsewhere with the help of the city authorities."
Elsewhere, as here in Londerzeel, hailstones caused incredible damage.
30 people injured in a severe hailstorm at a music festival in Liezele (Antwerp Province)
British DJ Carl Cox performed at Park Fort Liezele (Puurs-Sint-Amands – Antwerp Province) on Saturday evening. At around 8.30 pm, a fairly severe thunderstorm swept across the region, accompanied by hailstorms. “It lasted 10 to 15 minutes, no longer than that. But the hailstones were as big as ping-pong balls,” Dirk Van de Sande, spokesperson for the Rivierenland police zone, said.
Around thirty people sustained minor injuries! “They had suffered grazes and bruises. Everyone was treated at the scene; no one had to be taken to hospital.” A number of vehicles also sustained damage from the large hailstones.
