At least five people were killed after an explosion in an apartment building in The Hague, the Netherlands on Saturday, CNN reported, citing authorities.
According to firefighters, the blast occurred at around 6:15 am (local time), causing the three-storey apartment building to partially collapse and set on fire. They said five different apartments were impacted by the explosion.
Police has urged witnesses who might have seen car moving from the spot at a very high speed shortly after the incident occurred. The Hague mayor, Jan van Zanen, said that the search started as a rescue operation by Saturday afternoon. However, it turned into a recovery mission, CNN reported.
He said it is not unknown how many people were still under the rubble, but “the reality is that the chances of survival for them are slim.” He said, “We are considering the worst-case scenario.”
The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue service deployed a rescue group at the site of the incident on Saturday, which included four dog handlers and a structural engineer.
Firefighters said the fire was nearly out by 11:30 am (local time) and rescue dogs were carrying out search for possible victims. The dogs could not search the building for long as there was a risk that it could fully collapse, CNN reported, citing Dutch public broadcaster NOS.
According to the report, people from some 40 homes have been evacuated.
Speaking to the broadcaster, one man said that his initial thought after seeing the aftermath of the explosion was that it occurred due to a rocket attack.
The man said he heard a child calling for help from the rubble. However, he was unable to reach them as people pulled him back from the fire. The broadcaster reported that forensic officers were also at the spot gathering evidence.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that he was “shocked” by images of the damaged apartment building in The Hague.
In a post on X, he stated, “Shocked by the terrible images of a collapsed apartment building in The Hague. My thoughts go out to the victims, all other people involved and the emergency services who are now working on the scene. This morning I have been in contact with mayor Van Zanen of @GemeenteDenHaag and offered him all the help needed on behalf of the cabinet.”
In a statement shared on X, the Dutch King and Queen said that their thoughts were with those impacted by the incident.