Belgian 'ghost town' escapes demolition plans and hopes for renewal

During decades of legal battles against Antwerp port expansion, the population in Doel dwindled, buildings were defaced, fell into disrepair or were demolished. Photos: dpa

Doel, a Belgian village perched by the river Scheldt in the shadows of a nuclear power plant, has a population of just 18 residents.

Its many houses, now boarded up and covered in street art and graffiti, were once the homes of some 800 inhabitants.