Diouaene (28) buried under rubble: 'I thought I was dying'

antwerp - The 28-year-old Antwerper Diouaene was about to leave on Monday evening when suddenly a gigantic bang was heard. 'The house collapsed completely.'

The Belgian was out of consciousness for a moment. When he woke up, he was buried under the rubble. 'I did not see a way out and thought I was going to die, but suddenly I got oxygen again', he says to the Gazet van Antwerpen.

Diouane eventually managed to free herself. 'I saw an opening and tried to go there myself. I twist myself through the rubble like a kind of snake. My foot was stuck, so it was very difficult. Eventually I could climb out, and someone handed me his hand. I did not know what had happened. It was black in front of my eyes and I was very dizzy. '

Diouane blames the landlord of the building for the explosion. 'Our landlord is totally incorrect, in all areas. Our kitchens and bathrooms were all fine. We can always only reach him if he has to receive money, otherwise not. This could have been avoided and he must be punished, 'he says.

The landlord says Tuesday in his turn that everything in the house, including the gas supply, was in order. He states that in the past few days VRT has not received any mention of a gas odor in the premises at the Paardenmarkt.

The Public Prosecutor announced that there are indications for a gas explosion. 'But there is still no complete certainty about this. 'A fire expert has now started investigating the cause of the explosion, which caused three buildings to collapse on Monday evening and two people died.

'This is a catastrophe', said landlord Hamdi Chalghmi from Egypt to the VRT. A resident and passersby smoke, according to his own words, a gas smell on Monday morning, and that would not have been the first time. According to the residents, the owner was aware of the problem, but he did not act.