Locals heard argument before Amsterdam blast that hurt 7; Police still focused on rescue
An argument may have preceded a massive explosion at an apartment building in Amsterdam overnight, locals told NL Times. They report hearing people arguing shortly before the blast and seeing the police investigate a black Volkswagen left at the scene. The blast and subsequent fire left at least seven people injured, two of whom are in critical condition, and emergency services are still searching for victims.
Although gird operator Liander told NL Times they have yet to find any evidence of a natural gas explosion, the local emergency services office would not comment on speculation about an argument or criminal intent. “At this moment, it is still a rescue operation. We cannot rule out the possibility that more people are inside, so we are taking that into account now. I do not think we will call it off until we have searched everything,” a spokesperson for Veiligheidsregio Amsterdam-Amstelland told NL Times.
The explosion on Osdorper Ban happened at around 12:15 a.m. in the annex of the apartment building, which houses a 24-hour gym and fitness center. “I stepped out on the balcony while my little baby was sleeping, and heard somebody shout, ‘Don’t do it!’ Then, three or four seconds later, I heard the explosion,” said one local resident who asked not to be named in an interview with NL Times.
The emergency services spokesperson would not comment on whether a police investigation was examining the report of an argument that preceded the explosion. Arson and other criminal acts have not been ruled out, she told NL Times.
Several people ran out of the fire, and one person was lying on the ground and appeared to be badly injured. “But I couldn't leave my baby to help them,” the resident said. The blast left a massive hole in the gym’s wall. It is unclear how many people were inside at the time.
“The explosion was so strong it rattled my windows,” the resident said. “I called 112, and when they arrived, they told everyone not to go in or out of my building,” which is next to the scene. Another local living across the street from the building said the earthquake felt like an earthquake.
Police appeared to be investigating the contents of a black Volkswagen Golf that was left at the scene. The resident who spoke to NL Times said possibly two people showed up in the car, and that they may have been involved in an argument.
The Veiligheidsregio spokesperson would not comment on whether police were looking into the black car left in front of the fitness center. “Police are doing a search of the area,” she confirmed.
"We have not found any clues or evidence to indicate a gas explosion," a spokesperson for Liander said. "We cannot rule it out, because our crews have not been able to enter the building," he continued. "We will be referring questions about that part of the investigation to the Veiligheidsregio.
In the light of morning, the resident said they fear people will be found dead. A search and rescue team arrived at the location with a trained dog to look for more victims.
“We were alerted to the explosion at about 2:15 a.m, and we mobilized at the scene around 4 a.m. There was a lot of smoke and fire. It was only safe enough to begin searching around 7 a.m, and that’s when we also deployed the dog,” team leader Marijn van Eijsden of the USAR search and rescue team told NL Times.
“It is indeed a rescue operation,” he said, though there was no concrete reason to believe there was someone trapped in the rubble. “We can't say when the search will be called off. Remember the explosion on Tarwekamp in The Hague? We still found someone alive six hours later,” he recalled.
There are rumors in the neighborhood about prior suspicious activity at the gym where the explosion took place. However, the gym owner denied on social media that he and his business were involved in any criminal behavior.
He said that he had security camera video showing the explosion coming from under the gym’s floor. “The camera footage from inside the building clearly shows that the explosion came from beneath our floor. On the ground floor, beneath our gym, there are pipes, a transformer room, and residents’ storage areas, among other things,” he wrote on social media.
“I'm not worried about this,” the resident said. The baby was also unconcerned and actually slept through the incident. “This is Amsterdam. Crazy things happen here.”
