Antwerp - Ledakan terjadi di sebuah restoran di Antwerp, Belgia hingga merusak tiga gedung di sekitarnya. Akibat kejadian ini dua orang dilaporkan tewas dan belasan orang lainnya luka-luka.

Dilansir dari media Rusia, RT, Selasa (16/1/2018), sekitar 14 orang mengalami luka-luka akibat ledakan ini. Polisi memastikan ledakan ini tak terkait aksi terorisme.

Dua korban tewas ditemukan di antara puing-puing bekas ledakan.

Ledakan terdengar pada Senin (15/1) malam sekitar pukul 21.30 waktu setempat. Sumber ledakan dilaporkan berasal dari sebuah restoran Italia Primavera di Paardenmarkt, Antwerp.

Kekuatan ledakan cukup besar dan menyebabkan tiga gedung di sekitarnya rusak. Polisi menyatakan lima dari 14 korban luka mengalami kondisi serius di rumah sakit setempat.

Tim penyelamat menggunakan anjing pelacak untuk menemukan korban lain yang mungkin masih tertimpa reruntuhan. Puing bangunan disebutkan dalam keadaan tak stabil dan menyebabkan petugas kesulitan mencari korban.

Pemicu ledakan masih diselidiki lebih lanjut. Namun dugaan awal menyebut kebocoran tabung gas di restoran Italia itu yang memicu ledakan.

Paardenmarkt terletak di pusat kota Antwerp. Kawasan tersebut juga dikenal sebagai kota mahasiswa setempat.

SUMUR

Belgian rescuers found two dead bodies early Tuesday at the site of a powerful suspected gas explosion in the port city of Antwerp that also injured 40 people, police said.

The blast late Monday, which police say is not linked to terrorism, collapsed or severely damaged several buildings in the Paardenmarkt area of central Antwerp, a Dutch-speaking city in northern Belgium.

"Police confirm two more victims found under the rubble, both deceased. The victims have not yet been identified," Antwerp police said on Twitter.

Several people were pulled alive from the rubble on Monday night.

"Research into the cause of the explosion at Paardenmarkt continues," it added.

Belgium's French-language broadcaster RTBF reported that a gas leak was suspected as the cause of the blast at around 9:30pm (2030 GMT) Monday, though it had yet to be confirmed.

Police said the explosion was not related to terrorism, while Belgium has been on a high state of alert since 16 people were killed in suicide bombings in the capital Brussels in March 2016.