Death toll rises to 11 in Belgian apartment building collapse; Only 3 victims identified

Death toll at 11 in Belgian building collapse

LIEGE, Belgium — Searchers pulled two more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in this Belgian city, raising to 11 the death toll from what is believed to have been a gas explosion.

Officials said Friday they have identified only three victims so far. They said the force of the explosion early Wednesday that caused the five-story apartment building to collapse made it hard to identify victims.

Twenty-one people were injured in the blast, two seriously.

Officials said they did not expect to find any more bodies.

The building had only 14 registered residents. The explosion shattered windows in a wide area around the building. On Friday, workers tore down an adjacent building for fear it would collapse as well.