Explosion at Rotterdam port site kills one, injures several

One person has been killed and several others injured in an explosion at a site in the Port of Rotterdam, police say.

The blast happened shortly after midday on Thursday at a company on the Moezelweg in Europoort, regional broadcaster Rijnmond reported. Police said they had no further information at this stage.

Multiple people were injured and taken to hospital. Six ambulances, a trauma helicopter and fire crews were sent to the scene.

Rijnmond reported that a hired maintenance crew had been working on pipelines at the site and that something may have gone wrong as those pipes were being disconnected.

Traces of an explosion were visible on a storage tank, the broadcaster said.

Earlier on Thursday, a power cut shut down systems at the Esso refinery on the Botlekweg, sending large flames and black smoke over the port as gas lines were emptied. The Rotterdam-Rijnmond safety authority said it had not established whether the incidents were connected.