LAST UPDATE | 8 Dec 2024

AT LEAST FIVE people have died and several other people were injured after an explosion and fire destroyed an apartment block in the Dutch city of The Hague, authorities said.

The blast and resulting inferno destroyed at least five homes but it was not clear how many people were buried in the debris, Mayor Jan van Zanen told reporters.

The cause of the incident in Mariahoeve is unclear, with van Zanen saying investigators are looking into “all possibilities”.

Authorities confirmed that five bodies had been pulled from the wreckage, as fears mounted that the toll could rise much higher.

Five injured people were also pulled from the rubble by rescue teams, and are being treated for their injuries.

Police said they are looking for a car seen leaving the scene, while first responders continue to search under the rubble for more survivors. Elite teams with sniffer dogs have been deployed to rescue others trapped by the disaster.

It is not known how many people are still missing nor what caused the explosion in the block of flats not far from the centre of the city.

Eyewitness accounts detail how debris was strewn across the street and several windows had been blown out by the explosion on Saturday morning.

Huge plumes of smoke were billowing from a large hole where the building stood, with an acrid smell in the air.

Authorities warned locals to keep their windows shut and shut off ventilation systems due to the smoke.

The three floors of the building consisted of shops on the ground floors and five two-storey apartments, authorities said, with living rooms on the second floor and bedrooms on the top.

The Hague local mayor Jan van Zanen called it “an extremely heavy day”, telling a news conference that he “had expected a different Saturday,”.

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.

The Dutch royal family expressed similar sentiments.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with those affected in The Hague after the explosion and fire this morning,” including those “who are afraid of the fate of their loved ones.”

Residents told local media the apartment block was mainly inhabited by elderly people and families with children.

Around 40 residents of other blocks near the collapsed building have been evacuated. Some have been taken away by bus to an unknown location.

With additional reporting from Press Association.