Explosion in Utrecht flat; one killed, cop seriously hurt

By Janene Pieters on June 22, 2018 - 07:35
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Dutch police officers (Stock Photo: Politie). Dutch police officers (Stock Photo: Politie)

An apartment building on Marshalllaan in Utrecht was rocked by an explosion in one of the apartments on Thursday evening. The police later found a body in the apartment. A police officer was seriously injured, the police said on Twitter.

The explosion happened on the first floor of the apartment building, according to NU.nl. Fire broke out in several apartments. One home in the building burned out completely.

The officer who was injured responded to the building after a report of a fire, to provide assistance, a spokesperson for the police said to the newspaper. He walked up a staircase to a higher floor, and couldn't get back because of the smoke. The officer had to jump through a window to safety. He was seriously injured. The officer was rushed to hospital. According to RTV Utrecht, he broke both his legs. 

Two other persons were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

The police are investigating what happened in the apartment building. More information is expected to be provided through the course of Friday. So far nothing is known about the person found dead. 

Just after midnight the police reported that the fire department had the situation under control. The residents of six apartments had to spend the night elsewhere. 

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