Amsterdam mayor visits site of apartment building explosion; Search for victims ongoing
Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam visited an apartment building on Osdorper Ban on Friday morning, where an overnight explosion left at least seven people injured, including two critically. She described the explosion as “horrific.” The emergency services are still at the scene looking for more victims.
The explosion happened at around 00:15 a.m. in an annex of the apartment building that houses a 24-hour gym and fitness center, causing a fire. It is unclear how many people were in the gym at the time. Firefighters extinguished the fire by 5:00 a.m., but the situation has not been declared under control because the cause of the explosion is still unknown.
“I just stopped by Osdorp following last night’s horrific explosion. Residents of the apartment building and locals are understandably deeply shocked after such a violent incident,” Mayor Halsema said. “I sympathize with all those affected.”
The emergency services evacuated around 400 residents of the nine-story apartment building, partly because it is unclear how the explosion affected the building’s structural integrity. About 100 of them spent the night in the Osdorp district office.
Halsema went to visit those residents after seeing the site. “Immediate accommodation has been arranged for those who cannot return home at the moment. I am on my way there now,” she said.
Earlier in the morning, the city said that the residents won’t be able to return home this morning, and likely also not this afternoon. The city was arranging hotel rooms for the residents who couldn’t find accommodation with family or friends.
