Second body recovered from Rotterdam building explosion; One still missing

A second body was recovered from the rubble of the building in Rotterdam-Zuid that was destroyed by an explosion on Monday night and the intense fire that resulted from the blast. Initially, three people had been missing, another was critically injured and one person suffered minor injuries.

The body of the victim recovered on Thursday was identified as a 22-year-old man. Family members previously said his name was Ilyas, and he was one of two colleagues working together at the time of the explosion.

The body of his co-worker, Moustafa, 33, had not been found as of Thursday night. The body of 43-year-old Kamran Khan, a father of three, was found on Wednesday.

After the remains of Ilyas were identified, surviving family was given the opportunity to briefly say goodbye, police said. His body was then taken for further examination.

The cause of the explosion on Schammenkamp in Rotterdam-Zuid has not yet been determined. In order to be able to search, the building had to be dismantled from the outside in, and piece by piece. There was a great risk of collapse and the instability meant it was not possible to strengthen the structure.

The affected apartment units have largely disappeared above the area where the impact was greatest. The bodies were presumed to be located there.

During the search for the two missing people, a specially trained dog barked at different locations at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, and then again an hour later. More rubble was cleared again using machinery. The dogs were then deployed again in the hope of finding the bodies.

One of the dogs alerted its handler. Soon after, the police told an ANP reporter at the scene that human remains had been found.