Apartment building in The Hague collapses after fire, four injured

Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement he was shocked by images of the disaster and had offered assistance to local authorities.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS DECEMBER 7, 2024 11:44 Updated: DECEMBER 7, 2024 12:39

A fire brigade vehicle is seen near the medical center, after Dutch police arrested a suspect after a shooting in Rotterdam, Netherlands, September 28, 2023. (photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)

An apartment building was hit by an explosion and fire in a residential neighborhood of the Dutch city of The Hague on Saturday morning, the local fire department said, with at least four people injured.

"At around 6:15 a.m. a three-story apartment building partially collapsed and a fire broke out," the Hague fire department said in a statement.

"Up to now four victims have been taken to the hospital."

Fire breaks out

There was no immediate indication of the cause. Broadcaster NOS interviewed a neighbor who reported hearing a child calling for help as the building burned.

The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. Uploaded on 29/5/2024 (credit: PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/REUTERS)

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 images of the disaster and had offered assistance to local authorities.

Ravage vanaf de elfde verdieping. #Tarwekamp @omroepwest pic.twitter.com/2hzfJZ95y2

— Dennis van Schie (@DennisvanSchie) December 7, 2024

Four people have been hospitalized so far, according to Dutch News. According to De Telegraaf, as many as 20 people could have been in the three-story building at the time of the explosion.