Tragedy strikes in The Hague: Search ongoing after explosion
Since the morning, services in The Hague in the western Netherlands have been on the highest alert. This is due to a building disaster resulting from an explosion in a three-storey residential building. Currently, search efforts are underway for injured people under the rubble, from which four injured individuals have already been pulled out.
On Saturday morning in The Hague in the western Netherlands, there was an explosion that caused the partial collapse of a three-storey residential building. Rescuers are still searching for survivors under the rubble. The situation was complicated for a long time by the fire that broke out after the explosion.
As a result of the explosion, several apartments in the building in the Mariahoeve neighbourhood in the northeast of The Hague were destroyed. Emergency services reported that they managed to extract four people from under the rubble, who were taken to the hospital.
However, it is not known how many people might still be under the collapsed residential building. The AP agency wrote about "multiple" injured. Estimates suggest about 20 people buried under the debris. Ambulances stand in front of the scene, waiting for more victims.
Building disaster in the Netherlands
The cause of the explosion is not yet known. Residents of the area report that they heard a powerful explosion and people screaming before dawn. One woman told the media she thought it was an earthquake.
At this moment, services are conducting rescue and search operations and extinguishing the fire – the fire brigade conveyed in a statement, quoted by AFP.
The information about the incident was provided by the Dutch authorities and the AP agency. After ensuring that no one is left in the debris, services will try to determine what caused the explosion, which led to the partial collapse of the building.