A court has convicted four individuals for their involvement in a deadly gas explosion in a residential building in Turnhout, Antwerp Province, on 31 December 2021.
The explosion occurred on the Boerenkrijglaan, near Turnhout Hospital, killing four residents and seriously injuring two others who were pulled from the rubble. Eighteen apartments were destroyed.
Investigations revealed that a gas cooker installed a few weeks earlier caused the disaster. The cooker was purchased from Vanden Borre and installed by a subcontractor. A mounting error, specifically the failure to fix a metal cap to a joint, led to the gas leak.
The installer was given a two-year suspended sentence and fined €800. His associate, responsible for assigning the installation, received a one-year suspended sentence and the same fine.
Their company was fined €24,000, half of it suspended. Although Vanden Borre was acquitted, its logistics section was fined €240,000, with half of it suspended.
The building has been demolished and will be replaced with a memorial site. Meanwhile, a flower meadow has been sown, accompanied by two commemorative canvases.
Following the accident, the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the police to list addresses with potential gas hazards. Local police, in cooperation with fire services and suppliers, have since conducted checks, including in Antwerp and Schaerbeek.
