Toll in Hague building collapse climbs to six - official
Rescue workers pulled a sixth body from the rubble in the early hours of Monday, with fears they could discover more victims of the blast that took place at dawn on Saturday.
Firemen try to douse a fire following a fire and an explosion at a residential building in The Hague on 7 December 2024. Picture: AFP
THE HAGUE - The death toll from an explosion and fire that destroyed an apartment block in The Hague climbed to six on Monday, officials said, revealing that a teenage girl was among the victims.
Rescue workers pulled a sixth body from the rubble in the early hours of Monday, with fears they could discover more victims of the blast that took place at dawn on Saturday.
"At around 02:30 am, a sixth body was found and recovered from the cellar of the collapsed building," the local fire service said.
Police identified four of the dead as two men aged 45 and 31, a 41-year-old woman, and a 17-year-old girl. Four other people are in hospital, two in a serious condition.
Authorities do not know how many people were in the building at the time of the blast, so it remains unclear how many bodies could still potentially be found in the debris.
The fire was so intense that identification has only been possible via DNA tests, further complicating the process.
Police are still uncertain as to what caused the explosion but the head of the public prosecutors' office told reporters on Sunday there were unspecified indications it was a criminal act.
They are especially keen to speak to the driver of a car seen speeding away from the scene at 6:15 am on Saturday.
A detailed hunt for clues as to what caused the explosion can only begin when the search through the debris for victims is complete, authorities have said.