Blast in Netherland’s apartment building kills at least 5, structure partially collapses

Police have appealed for witnesses who may have seen a car driving away from the scene at a very high speed shortly after the incident, reported CNN.

Geschokt door de vreselijke beelden van een ingestorte flat in Den Haag. Mijn gedachten gaan uit naar de slachtoffers, alle andere betrokkenen en de hulpverleners die nu ter plekke bezig zijn. Ik heb vanmorgen contact gehad met burgemeester Van Zanen van @GemeenteDenHaag en hem…

— Dick Schoof (@MinPres) December 7, 2024

Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague said that the search earlier began as a rescue operation but later it had turned into a recovery mission instead.

Firefighters hose down a site of an explosion which destroyed several apartments and injured multiple people, at The Hague, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis)

The number of people who still remain under the rubble is not known but Mayor Jan said, “reality is that the chances of survival for them are slim. We are considering the worst-case scenario.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, in a post on X, said “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 and offered him all the help needed on behalf of the cabinet.”

After nearly five hours, the fire was nearly out and rescue dogs were searching for possible victims but the dogs couldn’t search the building for long as there was a risk of it collapsing completely. Around 40 homes have been evacuated, CNN reported.