Residents overpower suspect after explosion in Rotterdam; fatal car accident in Ritthem

In Rotterdam-West, local residents overpowered a suspicious person after another explosive went off at a house in Grasstraat on Saturday night. Shortly after, the police arrested two suspects involved in the incident. The night before, an explosion also occurred in the apartment next door. However, it is still unclear whether there is a connection between the two explosions.

The explosion took place around 01:45 a.m. No one was injured, but the house was damaged.

Around 4:30 a.m., observant local residents saw someone suspiciously hanging around the front door of a house and overpowered the perpetrator. Rushing police officers were able to arrest the person. A second suspect was also arrested later in the night. It concerns two men aged 20 and 21 from Rotterdam. The police have not ruled out that more arrests will follow.

Nadat vannacht al een eerste verdachte kon worden aanhouden na de #explosie bij een woning aan de #grasstraat #rotterdam, hielden agenten ook een tweede aan. De twee Rotterdammers (20 en 21) zitten vast. Meerdere aanhoudingen worden niet uitgesloten. https://t.co/CzhgCrPtfb.

— Politie Eenheid Rotterdam eo (@POL_Rotterdam) September 17, 2023

In the incident on Friday night, the perpetrator placed an explosive device outside the door of a second-floor apartment, according to regional broadcaster Rijnmond. A window in the stairwell shattered in the explosion, but no injuries were reported. The police are still looking for this perpetrator, the regional broadcaster wrote.

In another incident, two people died in a car accident on the Sloeweg Noord (N254) near Ritthem (Zeeland) on Saturday evening, the police reported.

The accident occurred around 08:10 p.m. on the provincial road Sloeweg Noord, where two cars collided with each other. Both drivers were trapped and had to be freed from their cars, the ZeelandVeilig Safety Region reported.

Shortly thereafter, the ambulance and the fire department arrived at the scene of the accident. However, one of the drivers, a 24-year-old man from Middelburg, died at the scene. The 48-year-old victim from Hoek succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

The police are investigating the circumstances of the accident.