At least five people have died and four others injured after explosions rocked a block of flats in The Hague in the Netherlands, authorities have said.
Firefighters rushed to the three-storey building following the blasts that caused the collapse of several homes in the Tarwekamp area at around 06:15 (05:15 GMT) on Saturday.
The city’s mayor, Jan van Zanen, said it was unknown how many people were still missing.
The cause of the explosions is not yet clear, but Dutch police said a car drove away “at very high speed” shortly after, and have appealed for witnesses.
Van Zanen said the chance of survivors being pulled from the rubble was slim, and urged the community to prepare for a “worst case scenario”.
It was earlier thought up to 20 people may have been in the flats at the time of the blast, but the mayor refused to speculate on this.
The Dutch fire service said five people are confirmed dead.
Dutch media reported five flats were destroyed in the explosion.
Rescue teams with sniffer dogs have been deployed to sift through the debris, but parts of the site remain too dangerous to access.
A large excavator has been brought in to remove debris and lighting erected at the site.
Fourteen-year-old Adam Muller told the AFP news agency the explosion “felt like an earthquake”.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said in a statement: “We sympathise with all those who have been personally affected or who fear for the fate of their loved ones.”
Credit: bbc.com
