The Hague:
A three-story apartment building in The Hague partially collapsed after a fire and explosion on Saturday, fire officials said, as first responders searched for people under the rubble.
Four people have already been rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital, while elite teams with sniffer dogs have been deployed to rescue others trapped by the disaster.
It was not known how many people were still missing, nor what caused the explosion in the apartment building not far from the city center.
“We still don’t know how many people are under the rubble,” a police officer at the scene told AFP.
An AFP reporter on the scene saw dozens of fire trucks as firefighters battled the blaze from the ground and from higher positions. Police helicopters circled overhead.
Debris was scattered across the street and several windows had been blown out, the AFP reporter said.
Huge plumes of smoke poured from a large hole where the building stood, leaving a pungent odor in the air.
“I was sleeping and suddenly there was a huge bang,” Adam Muller, a 14-year-old local resident, told AFP.
“I looked out the window and only saw flames. It’s a huge shock,” he added.
‘Like an earthquake’
Authorities warned locals to keep windows closed and turn off ventilation systems because of the smoke.
Forensic investigators arrived at the scene to investigate a possible cause of the accident, an AFP reporter said.
Police appealed for witnesses and said a car drove away from the scene at high speed after the explosion, which happened at around 6:15 am (05:15 GMT).
The building’s three floors consisted of shops on the ground floor and five two-story apartments, authorities said, with living rooms on the second floor and bedrooms on the top floor.
The city’s mayor Jan van Zanen traveled to the site to coordinate the rescue efforts.
“It was like an earthquake,” said a 53-year-old man who identified himself as Dimi and declined to give his surname.
“Something collapsed, but we didn’t see where it came from. I know these neighbors. My children go to school with them.”
“My new car was also seriously damaged,” he added.
The first images from NOS showed several dozen firefighters tackling a large fire and breaking open doors to gain access to the block.
A photo from the local news agency ANP shows a person being led on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
Hospitals in the area were on standby to treat the victims.
Residents told local media that the apartment building was occupied mainly by the elderly and families with children.
About 40 residents of other blocks near the collapsed building have been evacuated. Some were taken by bus to an unknown location.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X that he was “shocked by the terrible images of a collapsed apartment complex in The Hague.”
“My thoughts go out to the victims, everyone else involved and the emergency services who are now on site,” said Schoof.
He said he had been in touch with the city government and promised all necessary assistance.
King Willem-Alexander wrote on social media: “We sympathize with those personally affected or are concerned about their loved ones.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)