Apartment block structurally sound after Amsterdam blast; housing association "shocked"

The apartment block next to the building in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, where an explosion occurred overnight, has not sustained structural damage, a spokesperson for the regional safety authority said. However, residents are not yet able to return to their homes. “The sports center is badly damaged, but the apartment building itself was not damaged,” a spokesperson for the Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region has said. Housing association Stadgenoot says it is deeply shocked by the explosion and sympathises with the residents and others affected.

Following the blast at an apartment building on Remijden, at least 400 people were evacuated, including tenants of the housing association.

A Liander spokesperson said the building with the sports center also houses a transformer building. “That was completely destroyed,” he told NL Times. “We have about 223 homes without electricity as a result.” The grid manager is laying down cables as a temporary solution to restore power to the affected residences. “We hope to finish this by the end of the day.”

Earlier, he told NL Times there had been no indication to confirm that this was the result of a natural gas explosion. The cause remains under investigation, and police have not ruled out arson. Locals said that they had heard an argument prior to the explosion.

Stadgenoot, which rents out apartments in the building, said it will need additional time to repair the homes once the rescue operation and investigation into the cause have been completed. This includes repairs such as replacing front doors that were forced open by firefighters during the evacuation of the building.

Amsterdam city officials have urged residents of the damaged apartment block to contact relatives, friends, and others close to them to confirm their safety. “That way, anyone concerned about your well-being will know that you are safe,” the municipality said.

Stadgenoot said it is unable to estimate how long the rescue operation, the investigation into the cause of the explosion, and repair work, including the entrance doors, will take. “This may take the rest of the day. During that time, residents will not be able to return to their homes.”