At least four people were injured in a powerful explosion that occurred on Thursday afternoon in a building in central Utrecht, according to a preliminary assessment by Dutch authorities.
Debris and broken glass were scattered over a wide area from the building, which houses shops on the ground floor, with apartments above. Nearby shops and homes were also damaged.
Firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene, and authorities urged residents to avoid the area.
Large-scale destruction
Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma expressed concern about the possibility of people trapped under the rubble. “The primary concern is to determine whether anyone is trapped,” she told Dutch broadcaster NOS. “The scale of the destruction is so great that this cannot be ruled out,” she added.
“I felt the ground shake,” said Margot Schreevers, who was passing through the area at the time of the explosion. “I immediately realised something serious had happened,” she said.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear.