Fireworks disaster remembered 15 years later; 23 died in explosion

Enschede will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the massive fireworks disaster that hit the city in May 2000. The explosion killed 23 people, injured nearly a thousand others, destroyed about 200 homes and wiped an entire neighborhood off the map. The bells in Enschede will start sounding just before 3:30 p.m., the time of the disaster, Hart van Nederland reports. Mayor Fred de Graaf and Bram Distel, chairman of the Foundation Memorial Fireworks Disaster, will lay down flowers at the monument. Flags are allowed to hang at half-mast from sunrise to sunset. The widows of firemen that died in the disaster recently hired a lawyer in an attempt to get more information on exactly what happened and what caused the disaster.