The Missing Persons Unit is currently conducting a large-scale search for sunken car wrecks and missing bodies in the Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal near Grimbergen.
The search, which the press was allowed to observe on Thursday afternoon, is part of the ‘Clean Canal’ initiative, during which the Missing Persons Unit regularly and systematically probes major waterways for submerged vehicles.
The Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal, between Vilvoorde and Wintam near Bornem, is being searched from mid-March to early April.
As part of the operation, the Waterways Police surveyed the 28-km canal section between Vilvoorde Viaduct and Wintam Lock. Thirty-four locations were identified as potential sites for vehicle wrecks, to be examined by the Missing Persons Unit.
Civil protection divers first verify whether the marked locations contain cars or if they are other large objects like concrete blocks or container parts. If a car is found, it is extracted with a crane.
Between 18 and 26 March, 19 of the 34 identified locations were inspected. Twelve vehicles were removed from the water, with two more extracted on Thursday afternoon. So far, no bodies have been recovered from the water.
The Missing Persons Unit frequently conducts such operations. In 2024, they carried out 57, during which 91 vehicles and 26 bodies of missing persons were found.
