THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fireplace rocked a neighborhood within the Dutch metropolis of The Hague on Saturday, killing three folks and injuring different folks and destroying a number of flats, in response to authorities.
The explanation for the catastrophe was unclear. Mayor Jan van Zanen mentioned investigators have been wanting into “all potentialities.” Police mentioned they’re on the lookout for a automobile seen leaving the scene in case that helps with the investigation.
Van Zanen mentioned three our bodies have been pulled from the rubble. Emergency authorities mentioned 4 folks have been rescued and brought to the hospital. The mayor mentioned rescuers have been not on the lookout for survivors however for eventual our bodies, provided that the ‘’slim probability of survival” underneath what’s left of the flats. He couldn’t specify how many individuals may nonetheless be unaccounted for.
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Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard an enormous bang and screams earlier than daybreak. One lady instructed native media that she thought an earthquake had occurred.
Dutch authorities deployed a specialised city search and rescue workforce to the scene, with 4 canine skilled to search out victims. The workforce was beforehand used through the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023.
Soon after the explosion, a line of ambulances could possibly be seen ready close by in anticipation of extra victims. The spokesperson for the native hospital mentioned that they have been on standby to cope with accidents.
The mayor known as it “a particularly heavy day.”
“I had anticipated a distinct Saturday,” van Zanen instructed a information convention.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof mentioned in a press release he was shocked by the pictures of the catastrophe. “My ideas exit to the victims, all different folks concerned and the emergency providers who are actually engaged on the scene,” he mentioned.
The Dutch royal household expressed comparable sentiments. “Our ideas are with these affected in The Hague after the explosion and fireplace this morning,” together with these “who’re afraid of the destiny of their family members,” King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima mentioned in a press release.
Associated Press journalists Aleksandar Furtula and Ahmad Seir contributed to this report.
