At least five people were pulled dead from the ruins of an apartment building in Haguewhile its Principles Netherlands so far they do not know how many are missing after the explosion and collapse of the apartment building.
The mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zaanen, said on Saturday night that Dutch rescue teams were continuing to search the wreckage, adding that it was not clear how many people were still missing.
One trapped in the rubble was pulled out alive about 12 hours after part of the building collapsed at 06:15 on Saturday morning. In total, four injured received medical assistance and two of them are hospitalized in critical condition.
Residents of the apartment building told reporters that they lived in the building several elderly people and families with children. “I was sleeping and suddenly there was a deafening noise. I looked out the window and saw flames. It was a huge shock,” said 14-year-old Adam Muller, who lives in a neighboring building.
The cause of the explosion that caused the collapse is being investigated. Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a car that was seen speeding away from the scene shortly after the explosion.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoff said he was “shocked by the horrifying images of the collapsed apartment building in The Hague” in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands expressed his sadness at the tragedy and his support for those affected and those worried about the fate of their loved ones.