One killed, 12 hurt in apartment explosion in The Hague

One person was killed in an explosion at an apartment building in The Hague that left several others injured. Three people were hospitalized after the blast on Hengelolaan in the city’s Haagse Hout district. Nine other victims were treated at the scene, according to the regional emergency services office.

The explosion affected six apartments in total, and rescue workers needed to evacuate three apartments. Initially, medics transported two of the 13 victims to an area hospital. It was not immediately clear if that includes the person who died.

The incident was first reported just after 5 p.m. Records show firefighters were first dispatched to the street to look into a report of an odor like natural gas, and minutes later a major fire was reported at the scene.

The alarm was quickly elevated to a major fire, and then to a Grip 1 regional disaster, bringing out dozens of firefighters, paramedics, police officers, and a trauma team. An air ambulance was also sent to the area.

The fire was put out by 6:25 p.m., the Haaglanden Veilig emergency services office said. The Grip 1 protocol calls for all responding personnel to organize under a single incident commander. The regional emergency alarm was struck out at about 7:15 p.m., records show.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident was intentional or accidental. “We are investigating further; more information will follow as soon as it becomes available,” local police said.

Affected residents were being cared for at a city facility. Salvage workers were assessing the damage, Haaglanden Veilig reported.