An explosion and fire destroyed several apartments in a neighborhood in the g Dutch city of The Hague early Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring scores, police said.
The cause of the crash is unclear, but police said a car drove away from the scene “at a very high rate of speed” shortly afterwards. Mayor Jan van Zaanen said investigators were looking into “all possibilities.”
However, it is not yet known how many people may be missing CBS News affiliate BBC reported emergency crews are searching for up to 20 people believed to be inside the destroyed apartments. Authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital.
Van Zanen said three bodies were pulled from the rubble. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for possible bodies, but could not say how many people might be missing.
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Local media reports that one of the hospitalized is a child. They also reported that at least five apartments were destroyed in the blast.
“The fire is emitting a lot of smoke in the immediate vicinity… Residents are advised to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation,” authorities said, as quoted by AFP.
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A line of ambulances could be seen waiting nearby awaiting more victims. A local hospital spokesman said they were on standby to deal with the injuries.
The mayor called it an “extremely difficult day”.
“I was expecting a different Saturday,” van Zaanen told a news conference.
Residents of The Hague’s northeastern Mariahove neighborhood heard a huge explosion and screams before dawn. A woman told local media that she thought there had been an earthquake.
“I was sleeping and suddenly there was a huge explosion,” 14-year-old Adam Miller told AFP. “I looked out the window and I just saw flames. It’s a huge shock.”
Phil Nyhuis/AP
Dutch authorities sent a specialized urban search and rescue team to the scene with four dogs trained to find victims. The team was previously used during the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023.
Premier Dick Schuff said in a statement that he was shocked by the images of the disaster. “My thoughts go out to the victims, everyone else involved and the emergency services now working at the scene,” he said.
The Dutch royal family expressed similar sentiments.
“Our thoughts are with those affected in The Hague after this morning’s explosion and fire,” including those “who fear the fate of their loved ones,” King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in a statement.
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