Dozens of people fight at Ter Apel reception center, one taken to hospital

A large fight broke out at the Ter Apel asylum seekers' center around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, leaving several people injured and one person hospitalized with a stab wound. Dozens were involved in the altercation, according to RTV Noord.

At least 10 police cars and four ambulances carrying police officers and paramedics in bulletproof vests arrived at the scene. An air ambulance was also present. By the evening, the situation had been resolved but police remained on alert.

The fighting happened outside the center's gates, among a group of over 100 people. The police did not know why the people were congregated outside the fence of the reception center, according to RTV Noord.

It was very possible that some residents of the reception center were involved in the fight, a spokesperson for the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) said. However, she added that people inside the gates of the center were not affected.

"We're not 100 percent sure yet," the COA said in a statement. "But the residents often have contact with the people waiting outside, chat with them or help them."