Enschede commemorates 25th anniversary of fireworks disaster that killed 23

Thousands of people gathered in Enschede on Tuesday in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the fireworks disaster. Around 1,000 to 1,500 people visited the Het verdwenen huis tussen hemel en aarde monument, which has the names of the 23 victims on it.

The Roombeek district was destroyed on May 13, 2000, because a fireworks storage facility, SE Fireworks, exploded. Almost 1,000 people were injured and 200 homes were destroyed, with another 1,500 homes and 500 company facilities being damaged. Around 1,250 people became homeless due to the incident.

Flags were hung at half-mast throughout the city. Hadassa Meijer, the director of the Huis van Verhalen, read the poem “Enschede huilt,” translated as Enschede cries, written by Willem Wilmink after the disaster.

A benefit concert will be played by the fanfare orchestra De Bazuin on Tuesday night. At the time, this brass band had a home in the affected area and supported the residents of Enschede after the disaster by playing music in various places in the city. People will then get together to speak and drink coffee in the community center Prismare, before watching the documentary De middag van 13 Mei, which will also be broadcast throughout the country on NPO2 on Tuesday night.

The city’s mayor, Roelof Bleker, said during a speech at the commemoration that the disaster made the connection between the people in the city “stronger than ever.” He added that this connection can still be felt to the “day that changed everything.”

Bleker said that the only thing that remained after the explosion was “rubble, smoke, confusion, and an incredible amount of sadness.” And although Enschede was affected deeply, the residents showed "incredible strength to pick up the thread of life again. You have shown what resilience means. Enschede has not let itself be broken. On the contrary."

Bram Distel, the chairman of the Stichting Herdenking Vuurwerkramp, a foundation for the commemoration of the disaster, said that the incident is still a tough subject for many residents of the city. “It may seem like a century ago, but it still isn’t for many people.”

Distel used his speech to praise the courage of the victim's relatives. “It takes a lot of courage, and that courage cannot always be mustered by everyone. It involves trial and error, with feelings of anger and resignation, but fortunately often also with feelings of gratitude for what others have done for you, meant to you, and have meant to you. And unfortunately, never without sadness."