A registration number of a small aircraft is said to have been found on the debris, but it is not known what type of aircraft it is. It is known that the aircraft had taken off from East Germany earlier in the day and was en route to France.
Clothing and a life jacket were also found, a spokesperson for the security region said. An oil trail floated on the water.
Emergency services have turned out en masse to the Pistoolhaven in Rotterdam to find the possible victims. So far no one has been found. A search is underway with various vessels, including the fire brigade, the coastguard and the port authority. An underwater drone may be deployed later tonight. A helicopter is also circling over the area. Because many different care providers are involved, it has been scaled up to GRIP-1. This only happens in the event of large-scale emergencies.
Air traffic control at Rotterdam Airport does not know which aircraft is involved, no aircraft has disappeared from the radar. On the basis of the registration number, the emergency services will try to find out what type of device it is.
The debris was found at the entrance of Maasvlakte 1 and 2, which is a busy shipping route. Yet no one saw the plane crash. The Security Region is also unable to say when the incident took place.
View live webcam images of the Nieuwe Waterweg below.