The police in The Hague announced on Tuesday the arrest of three individuals in connection with a deadly explosion at an apartment building in the city over the weekend, which resulted in at least six fatalities.
The explosion occurred at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, leading to a fire and the partial collapse of a three-story apartment block, as reported by fire officials. Four injured individuals were transported to a hospital, while one person received on-site treatment.
The mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, described the incident as “an unprecedented disaster” in his public remarks.
Rescue workers recovered a sixth body from the debris early Monday morning, and authorities have since concluded their search efforts, according to fire officials in The Hague.
Details surrounding the cause of the explosion remain unclear. Officials have confiscated several vehicles but have not determined the cause or the individuals responsible for the blast.
The explosion affected 19 apartment duplexes, rendering five of them completely uninhabitable, according to fire officials.
The arrested individuals are currently prohibited from contacting anyone outside of their legal counsel, as stated by the police, who also indicated that additional arrests may occur.
Following the explosion, police began searching for a vehicle that was seen fleeing the scene; however, it is unclear whether this vehicle is among those that have been confiscated.
Smaller explosions near residential or commercial areas have become increasingly common in large cities across the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. Authorities suspect that many of these incidents are associated with drug trafficking or extortion.
Since 2021, the frequency of such explosions in the Netherlands has risen markedly. In 2022, there were 1,017 reported explosions, compared to only 212 in 2021, as per police data. The majority of these incidents occurred in major urban areas.
However, Saturday’s explosion was notably more severe. Dutch King Willem-Alexander visited the site over the weekend and expressed his shock, stating, “This is beyond imagination,” during an interaction with reporters.