RESCUERS are searching for survivors after a huge explosion ripped through a block of flats in the Netherlands.
Firefighters rushed to the three-storey building in The Hague at around 6.15am this morning after a huge bang and loud screams were heard.
Cops are now hunting for a car after one drove away “at very high speed” shortly after and have appealed for witnesses.
Residents at the block in the city’s Mariahoeve neighbourhood were asleep at the time.
Several apartments were completely destroyed in the explosion while others around it collapsed.
Balconies could be seen lying on the ground while walls had toppled over.
A blaze broke out following the explosion with firefighters putting it out.
Rescuers are now looking for up to 20 people thought to have been in the block at the time of the blast.
Four have been pulled from the rubble so far with a line of ambulances parked near the building ready to take people to hospital.
Specialist search and rescue workers have brought sniffer dogs with help find those still trapped.
The team was previously used during the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023.
The cause of the explosion is not yet clear.
Resident Adam Muller, 14, said the explosion “felt like an earthquake”.
He said: “I was asleep and suddenly there was this huge bang.
“I looked out of the window and just saw flames. It’s a massive shock.”.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement he was shocked by the images of the disaster.
He said: “My thoughts go out to the victims, all other people involved and the emergency services who are now working on the scene.”
In a statement, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima expressed their thoughts on the incident in The Hague. They conveyed their concern for those impacted by the explosion and fire that occurred earlier in the day. The royal couple extended their support to individuals who were worried about the well-being of their family members in the wake of the tragic event.
