Video: 7 hurt in explosion at Amsterdam apartment building; Search for victims ongoing

At least 7 people were injured in an explosion and fire at an apartment building in Amsterdam Nieuw-West overnight. One victim was in critical condition, the municipality reported. The explosion occurred in an annex of the apartment building that houses a 24-hour gym. It is unclear how many people were inside, so the number of casualties may still rise. Emergency services evacuated the 400 residents of the apartment building.

The first report of the explosion at the building on Osdorper Ban came in at 00:15 a.m. The building partially collapsed, and a fire broke out. At 5:00 a.m., the municipality reported that firefighters had extinguished the fire, but the situation is not yet under control because the cause of the explosion remains unknown.

A special team is searching the building for any more victims, first using a drone to explore the building, and then sniffer dogs to search under the rubble. The building is at risk of collapse.

“Because the cause of the explosion is still unclear and all scenarios are being considered, the cordon is being expanded,” the municipality said at 7:00 a.m. on Friday. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal service joined the police, fire department, and paramedics at the scene.

The emergency services evacuated the adjacent nine-story apartment building. “That was done primarily because a lot of smoke was released during the fire, and it entered the apartments,” a spokesperson for the local security office, Veiligheidsregio Amsterdam-Amstelland, told NOS. “Additionally, we were not sure what the explosion had done to the structure of the apartment building; therefore, we evacuated the entire building as a precaution.”

The approximately 400 residents were largely taken in by friends in the neighborhood. About 100 people spent the night at the Osdorp district office. The city will arrange hotel rooms for them while the emergency response is ongoing.