Brussels area close to EU cleared after bomb alert

Some 40 people were preventively evacuated from a building near to European Union headquarters in Brussels after a bomb threat was sent to a company linked to the EU.

Police have cordoned off a 100 metre section on Avenue D'Augerghem near the British embassy, just off the Schumann roundabout where the EU’s Commission and European Council is based.

The cordon and evacuations were sparked this morning after a consultancyancy firm for the Commission said they had received a call about a bomb, Belgium media SudInfo.de reports. Firefighters have now been seen entering the building of the firm, which has been evacuated by staff.

Police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said a “telephone bomb threat” was made Tuesday morning to a consulting office linked to the EU’s executive Commission and that it has been taken seriously.

Benoit Roussel, a consultant for the firm, said: “We received a phone call and alerted police, after which the street was evacuated.”

Another employee told Express.co.uk that the firm's reception received a phone call around 10.25am where the caller said “there is a bomb” before hanging up.

Part of the street has been sealed off and sniffer dogs have been sent to the scene. The operation was still ongoing around.