The death toll from the devastating explosion and subsequent fire in a residential building in The Hague has reached six, Dutch authorities have announced. Among the dead is a 17-year-old teenage girl, reported France Presse, quoted by BTA.
Early this morning, rescue teams pulled a sixth body from the basement of the building that collapsed in the incident at dawn on Saturday. “About 2:30 a.m. in the morning, a sixth body was found and removed”, the fire department confirmed.
Four people have been identified so far: two men aged 45 and 31, a 41-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl. Four more people are in hospital, and the condition of two of them is critical.
Authorities are still unsure how many people were inside the building at the time of the explosion, making it unclear how many victims may be under the rubble.
The intense fire following the explosion has made it difficult to identify the bodies, which can only be done through DNA analysis. This further delays the investigation process.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been officially announced. The chief prosecutor told reporters that there was evidence of a criminal act, but did not reveal further details. Police are searching for the driver of a car seen speeding away from the scene of the accident in the early hours of Saturday.
The search for clues to the cause of the explosion cannot begin until the search for possible victims in the rubble is completed, authorities said.
The tragedy shook The Hague and caused sympathy and support for the injured families while the investigation continues.