The major fire at the apartment complex in South Rotterdam has been extinguished, the safety region reports. Three people are missing, they may still be inside. The safety region takes into account that these people have died. One of the two injured people was taken to hospital.
The fire was caused by a huge explosion. As soon as it is safe, a forensic investigation will be launched into the cause. According to the Rotterdam fire brigade, it is not “just an explosion as has occurred more often recently. This was much bigger.” A car without occupants on the street was blown over, and 44 homes were damaged to such an extent that residents cannot return for the time being.
For the time being, police and forensic investigators cannot enter. First, a gas pipeline in the street must be secured, and it is not yet clear how unstable the building is. A drone has already been used to search for the missing people, but that has yielded no results. The municipality of Rotterdam scheduled a meeting on Tuesday morning about the situation surrounding the explosion and fire.