House facade in Meppel blown off by explosion, suspect on the run

An explosion occurred in a house on Willem de Poorterstraat in Meppel, Drenthe, on Friday night, the police reports. The powerful explosion blew away the entire rear facade of the house, according to RTV Drenthe.

At around 2 a.m., the Meppel fire department was alerted to a fire that had broken out after the explosion. The fire has since been extinguished. Several surrounding homes have also been evacuated. Residents can seek shelter themselves or receive shelter through the municipality, according to the police.

The house was unstable due to the explosion and therefore unsafe to enter, but has since been searched, the Drenthe Safety Region reports. "No victims were found." Shortly after the explosion, bystanders saw a man walking away and possibly injured, police say, who are looking for him. Police are still investigating the cause of the explosion.

According to RTV Drenthe, the suspect is a 41-year-old man with a light tan. He is around 1.75 meters tall and he may have been injured on his hands or both arms.

Local residents have reportedly been complaining for years about the nuisance caused by drug dealing in the area and in the house damaged by the explosion. They told the broadcaster they had contacted the authorities several times, including Woonconcept. They are surprised “that this has never been taken seriously”.

However, Dagblad van het Noorden reports that raids have indeed taken place in Meppel. The apartment of a 37-year-old man in the damaged house was searched on suspicion of possession of weapons.

A police spokesperson could not yet say anything about this.