Residents return to Amsterdam-Osdorp homes after blast injures seven
About 400 residents evacuated after a powerful explosion in Amsterdam-Osdorp were allowed to return home after authorities declared the apartment building safe, as police continued investigating what Mayor Femke Halsema also said is likely a crime involving explosives, NOS reports.
The blast struck an outbuilding next to the apartment block overnight from Thursday to Friday, injuring seven people. Authorities later said that no one remained trapped beneath the rubble.
Housing corporation Stadgenoot said the apartments had been inspected and were safe for residents to return. “We have ensured that the entrance is safe again for residents,” a spokesperson said.
More than 100 doors were forced open, and some windows were smashed by firefighters, so some residents were issued new keys. Broken glass has been cleared away, and damaged windows have been temporarily boarded up. Residents can collect replacement keys at the Station Wildeman neighborhood center. Those evacuated spent recent nights in hotels and received assistance at the center.
Support organizations will remain at the building in the coming days to answer questions from residents, the housing corporation said. The Amsterdam municipality, Stadgenoot, and other agencies will later hold an information meeting about the incident.
The investigation led to the arrest of three suspects on Friday, June 12, and the seizure of two vehicles. “We are taking into account criminal activities involving explosives,” police said. Authorities had previously disclosed multiple arrests but had not specified the number.
Mayor Femke Halsema called the incident “antisocial.” “So criminal. If this had happened in the middle of the day, it would have been even worse,” she told NOS after visiting the site.
Halsema said investigators were examining all scenarios but suspected criminal acts. “We are seriously taking into account that the site is also a crime scene,” she said.
On the day of the explosion, residents told NL Times they believed the blast and its victims could be connected to earlier ATM bombings. Soon after the explosion, two people were seen fleeing from the area.
Responding to reports from residents cited by Het Parool that teenagers and people in their twenties had been packing explosives in a basement storage unit, allegedly for use in ATM bomb attacks in Germany, Halsema said: “We are trying to get a grip on those who make and place the explosives, but if they are spread out in basement storage units, that is very difficult to find. Then you depend on reports.” She described preparations for explosive ATM attacks in residential neighborhoods as a “gigantic” problem.
The apartment building itself suffered no structural damage, though entrances and front doors damaged during the evacuation still require repairs. Crews have also been restoring doors, replacing glass and checking elevators and electricity supplies to ensure residents can return safely.
