Sixth body found at The Hague blast site, king and queen visit
- Published in Soualiga Newsday Focus
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Willem Alexander and Maxima visited the site early on Monday. Photo: Koen van der Weel ANP
SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Emergency service workers have found a another body under the rubble of an apartment complex in The Hague that was destroyed in an explosion early on Saturday morning.
The find brings the death toll in the blast to six. Four people were also taken to hospital, two of whom are in a very serious condition. In total, 19 homes were damaged in the blast and five of them completely flattened.
The hunt for bodies will continue on Monday because “there is one small area we have not fully explored,” a spokesman for the regional safety board said.
Meanwhile, the police have now formally identified four of the victims. They are a 45-year-old man, a 41-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl from The Hague. The fourth victim is a 31-year-old man from nearby Voorburg.
The identification process has been made more difficult because of the fire that raged in the ruins of the building after the blast, police said.
Local officials told a press conference on Sunday evening that there were indications that the blast was due to a crime, but declined to comment on suggestions a drugs lab may have been located in the building.
According to broadcaster NOS, investigators were spotting removing jerrycans from the scene on Sunday night.
Officials have also asked for more information about a car that drove off at high speed after the blast and which has not yet been traced. They also asked witnesses come to forward if they had noticed people smelling of smoke or had visible burns on their body.
King Willem-Alexander and queen Màxima visited the site of the explosion on the Tarwekamp in The Hague’s Mariahoeve district on Monday morning. They will also visit a local community centre to meet local residents.
(DutchNews)