Police in The Hague are asking for eyewitnesses and camera footage, saying a car was seen driving away at high speed from this morning’s explosion at an apartment complex in the Mariahoeve district of the city.

The police have not said any more about the vehicle, which was spotted leaving the scene immediately after the blast at 6.15 am.

Four people have been taken to hospital but the hunt for others caught up in the explosion was halted around midday because of the dangerous state of the building.

The blast demolished five flats close to the corner of the complex and caused widespread damage in the surrounding apartments and shops.

As yet is is unclear how many people were in the apartments at the time of the blast but according to the Telegraaf, the emergency services say up to 20 people could be involved.

“The emergency services are working flat out to bring people to safety,” The Hague’s mayor Jan van Zanen told reporters at the scene. “We are doing all we can to help people and as soon as there is more clarity about what happened, we will update you.”

Officials have scheduled a press conference for 3pm.

Bij daglicht is goed te zien wat voor ravage er is ontstaan aan het #Tarwekamp in #DenHaag nadat daar vanmorgen een gigantische explosie heeft plaatsgevonden. Speciale reddingsteams zijn ter plaatse om te gaan zoeken naar slachtoffers. pic.twitter.com/UDfYUyN79c

— District8.net (@RedactieD8) December 7, 2024

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

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

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