Netherlands: Several found dead in The Hague apartment explosion

An explosion and fire rocked a neighbourhood in the Dutch city of The Hague on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring others, destroying several apartments, according to authorities.

The cause of the disaster is unclear. Mayor Jan van Zanen said 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.

Residents of the city’s northeastern neighbourhood of Mariahoeve say they heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. One woman told local media that she thought an earthquake had happened.

Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Local media reported one of the individuals hospitalised was a child.

Authorities also said that five apartments were destroyed in the explosion, while 40 neighbouring apartments have been evacuated.

A specialised urban search and rescue team have been deployed to the scene, with four dogs trained to find victims. The same team was previously used in Turkey after the earthquake that occurred there in early 2023.

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.