Rescuers search for victims after apartment block blast
8 December 2024, 10:14
At least five people were killed in the incident in The Hague on Saturday morning.
Emergency services are continuing to search through the debris of a Dutch apartment block that was destroyed by an explosion and fire, killing at least five people.
The cause of the blast in the Hague on Saturday morning is unclear, with mayor Jan van Zanen saying investigators are looking into “all possibilities”.
Police said they are looking for a car seen leaving the scene in case that helps with the investigation.
The fire service said five bodies have been found, and five injured people were rescued.
The mayor said rescuers are no longer looking for survivors but for bodies, given the “slim chance of survival” under what is left of the building. However, one person was rescued alive many hours after the explosion.
Residents of the north-eastern neighbourhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. One woman told local media she thought there had been an earthquake.
Dutch authorities deployed a specialised urban search and rescue team to the scene, with four dogs trained to find victims. The team was previously used during the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023.
The mayor called it “an extremely heavy day”.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement he was shocked by the images of the disaster. “My thoughts go out to the victims, all other people involved, and the emergency services who are now working on the scene,” he said.
The Dutch royal family expressed similar sentiments. “Our thoughts are with those affected in The Hague after the explosion and fire this morning,” including those “who are afraid of the fate of their loved ones,” King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in a statement.
