A school construction accident in Antwerp, Belgium on Friday resulted in the deaths of four Portuguese workers, the government today confirmed through the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities.
“We have already confirmed the victims: three of them are citizens of Portugal, whose names were initially communicated to the embassy of the Belgian MNP, and a citizen of Moldova and Portugal, who was also identified. We already have contact with my wife and we are also checking if she needs any support, ”said Secretary of State Berta Nunes Luse in the final assessment of the rescue operations.
The minister also added that contacts had already been established with the insurance company of the Portuguese subcontractor and that “the insurance will already take care of everything that is needed”, and also provided direct contact from the Portuguese Embassy in Belgium to also provide support.
“All three Portuguese workers killed and one hospitalized is a Portuguese company that is subcontracted to a Belgian company, and the insurance is already using all the means to transport the bodies and all the necessary procedures,” he explained to Luz. , indicating that it will be necessary to speak again with the family of the citizen with dual citizenship in order to assess the possible transfer.
As for a Portuguese worker interned at a hospital in Antwerp, Berta Nunez also said that contact has already been made and that his health is improving.
“He is stable, although he is still in intensive care, but tomorrow, in principle, he will go to a regular ward, and then we will be able to visit him. But we have already talked with him, everything is in order, stable, and the development is positive, ”he said, adding:“ We have no details. [do acidente]… Apparently, he was not buried, but in the fall he received serious injuries, so he had to be placed in intensive care. “
Not failing to emphasize the “full cooperation” of the Belgian authorities in this case, the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities once again expressed her “condolences to families” and willingness to provide any assistance. In addition, Berta Nunez assured that Portugal, through the embassy, will follow the investigation of the incident by the Belgian authorities.
The partial collapse of a school construction site in Antwerp also injured nine people who were hospitalized in four hospitals in the region. The school was still under construction, there were no students, the causes of the disaster are currently unknown.
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Crewe sent condolences to the families of workers killed in the “tragic accident” in Antwerp to Antonio Costa, the head of the Portuguese government said today.
