Bridge Collapse Blocks Belgian Canal Traffic

Shipping was blocked on the Brussels-Willebroek canal just north of the Belgian capital on Thursday after a ship struck a bridge near the town of Grimbergen, police said.

The Humbeek bridge, which rises on cables to allow barges to pass beneath, was badly damaged, according to police cited by local media, although no one was injured.

The canal carries significant amounts of freight between Brussels and the Scheltdt estuary around Antwerp.

(Reuters reporting by Alastair Macdonald Editing by Gareth Jones)