Hague apartment building collapses after explosion, emergency crews look for survivors in the debris

Rescue teams are desperately searching for as many as 20 missing people after a massive explosion collapsed a three-storey block of flats in the Hague today. 

Huge plumes of smoke billowed from a large hole where the building stood, with an acrid smell in the air early Saturday as firefighters worked to control the blaze.

Four people injured in the explosion had been taken to local hospitals, and at least five homes were destroyed in the incident, authorities said.

It is not yet known what caused the explosion or inferno near the Dutch city centre, nor how many victims may still be stuck under the wreckage. 

‘It was like an earthquake,’ said bystander Dimi, 53. ‘Something collapsed but we didn’t see where it came from. I know these neighbours. My kids go to school with them.’

‘My new car has also been seriously damaged,’ he added.

Footage showed dozens of fire trucks as firefighters battled the blaze from the ground and from higher positions.

Debris was strewn across the street and several windows had been blown out, an AFP reporter said.

According to local media outlet Regio15, several people had already been rescued from the scene.

‘I was asleep and suddenly there was this huge bang,’ Adam Muller, a 14-year-old local, told AFP.

‘I looked out of the window and just saw flames. It’s a massive shock,’ he added.

‘The fire is releasing a lot of smoke in the immediate vicinity… Residents are advised to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation,’ authorities said.

The city’s mayor Jan van Zanen was on site to coordinate rescue efforts, according to Regio15.

‘At this moment, the emergency services are busy rescuing and searching for people and fighting the fire,’ said the city’s fire service in a statement.

A picture from local news agency ANP showed one person being led away on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance. 

Homes on multiple floors appeared to have been destroyed by the explosion, said Regio15.

Early images from public broadcaster NOS showed several dozen firefighters tackling a large blaze and breaking down doors to gain access to the block.

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. 

A picture from local news agency ANP showed one person being led away on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance.

Elite search and rescue teams, specialised in searching for victims in natural disasters and earthquakes, were on their way to the scene with trained dogs, NOS said.

The Hague is the third biggest city in the Netherlands with a population of more than half a million.

It is best known as the home of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and more than 150 international law organisations.