Increase in number of explosions during first three months of this year compared to 2024

There has been an increase in explosions at homes, businesses, and cars this year compared to the same period last year. At least 241 explosions occurred in the first three months of the year, compared to 223 in the first quarter of last year. However, the number of explosions is lower than in the last quarter of 2024, numbers provided by ANP show.

Most of these incidents occurred in January. At least 104 explosions occurred during the first month of the year. In total, an explosive went off in at least 83 municipalities up to March. The most explosions occurred in Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam.

Outside of the three largest municipalities in the country, there was a noteworthy high number of explosions in Zwolle and Hoorn. There were two incidents of explosions going off on two separate houses on the Pieter Steynstraat in Zwolle last month.

In Hoorn, one of the explosions occurred at apartments behind the Grote Kerk. Zwolle and Hoorn saw more explosions this year than during the whole year of 2024, the statistics show.

The number of explosions in the Netherlands has increased through the years. Police have said that half of these incidents are not connected to crime, but are often the result of disputes.

ANP counted the number of explosions using public police reports and reports from media outlets. Only the incidents in which an explosion went off were included in the county, as these have the biggest impact on the nearby area. ATM explosions are not included.