Firefighters carry a coffin as emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion in a residential area in The Hague, Netherlands, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman
THE HAGUE (Reuters) -One person died, three were injured and an unknown number of people were missing after a building in The Hague collapsed on Saturday following explosions and a fire, the mayor of the Dutch city said.
Jan van Zanen told a news conference those missing were believed to be buried under debris.
"The chance that living people will be found is very small," he said.
The cause of the disaster, which took place shortly after 6 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), was not known. Van Zanen said that there had been a small explosion, followed by a larger explosion.
Police called on people who had seen a car speeding away from the scene, or people who had video of it, to contact them.
Images of the scene posted on social media platform X from a higher building nearby showed one segment, encompassing five apartments, had been reduced to ashes and rubble.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement he was shocked by the news and had offered assistance to local authorities.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling, Bart Meijer, Yves Herman; Editing by Toby Chopra and Barbara Lewis)
