Dutch authorities said on Sunday that they suspected that an act of criminal origin was at the origin of the explosion which caused the collapse of a building on Saturday and killed at least five people in the city of The Hague.
Rescuers were still searching the rubble on Sunday after the explosion on Saturday morning, but the number of people who could still be buried remains unknown.
“We still don't know what caused the explosion. What is clear to us is that there are indications that it is a crime,” the prosecutor told the press. General Margreet Froberg.
Five dead and four injured
So far, five bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the three-story building. One person was pulled out alive and rushed to hospital. In total, four injured people are hospitalized.
Authorities said the intensity of the fire only allowed victims to be identified using DNA data, complicating calculations about how many people might still be missing.
The three-story building included ground-floor retail and five duplexes, authorities said. Residents told local media that the building was mainly occupied by elderly people and families with children.
Ongoing investigation
The Hague police director Karin Krukkert said the search was focusing on a car that was seen leaving the scene at high speed shortly after the explosion at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Two separate teams were formed for the investigation, one to identify the victims and the other to look for the causes of the explosion, added Karin Krukkert, specifying that the investigation would take time.
afp/mera
