A landmark tower in Limburg, popular with tourists and locals alike, collapsed unexpectedly on Sunday, but emergency service worker say no one was injured.

The 30 metre high Wilhelmina Tower in Valkenburg, near Maastricht, was a listed building and visitors could climb to the viewing platform to look out over the local landscape and, on a clear day, to Belgium and Germany.

The tower, which is privately owned, housed a café-restaurant, and opened to the public in 1906. It was closed at the time of the collapse.

The emergency services said on Sunday afternoon that no one had been buried under the rubble of the tower, which was located some 145 metres above sea level. Rescue dogs had been combing the remains of the building for survivors but, apart from some clothing, found nothing.

Local mayor Daan Prevoo said it is still unclear what caused the tower to fall down. The alarm in the tower sounded at around 5:30 am, and three minutes later, the security cameras shut down, he said.

According to weather bureau KNMI, which also registers seismic activity, a peak was noted at around that time. However, according to RTL, the KNMI do not consider this was the cause of the collapse.

The viewing platform had been closed to the public because of renovation work, but the permit process had not yet been completed, Prevoo said. “We are now getting all the facts together,” he told broadcaster NOS.

According to the Telegraaf, there had been safety issues surrounding the tower for years, and it had been closed for maintenance because of the risk of collapse. Last year, two paths to the tower were closed to the public because of damage caused by heavy rain, the paper said.

Local residents told broadcaster L1 that seeing the tower when they were returning to Valkenburg made them feel at home.