A powerful explosion tore through a fitness studio in Amsterdam’s Osdorp neighbourhood last night, triggering a massive fire and partially collapsing the building.
Emergency services were called to Remijden Street in Amsterdam Nieuw-West shortly after midnight on June 12.
The blast, which residents reported hearing as far away as the city centre, blew out the gym’s façade on multiple sides and caused part of the structure to collapse. A large fire followed immediately, taking around 4 and a half hours to bring under control.
Local news organisation AT5 reports that at least seven people were injured, one of them seriously. The municipality has confirmed that the number of casualties could still rise.
What happened?
Unfortunately, the gym in question sits beneath a nine-storey residential flat. In addition to injuries sustained in the blast, around 400 residents of adjacent flats were evacuated as a precaution.
After the explosion, fire services quickly declared the incident a zeer grote brand (major fire). They coordinated a large-scale emergency response, bringing in multiple specialist teams, including the Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) and a Mobile Medical Team.
By the time first responders arrived, smoke had spread into the apartments. Emergency services were unable to rule out that the explosion had compromised the building’s structural integrity.
Search teams worked through the night, looking for additional survivors in the wreckage.
What caused the explosion?
For now, the cause of the explosion is still unknown.
NOS reports that investigators are assessing all possible scenarios, including criminal ones. The Explosives Disposal Service was called to the scene as a precautionary measure, but it’s unclear if explosives were actually involved.
Meanwhile, the gym’s owner posted on Instagram that the explosion appeared to have originated from below the floor, where pipes, a transformer room, and residents’ storage spaces are located. He stressed that those storage areas do not belong to the gym.
“Right now, nobody knows exactly what happened, and the investigation is ongoing,” he writes, asking people not to speculate.
By around 7 AM, police and the municipality expanded the safety cordon around the site. Firefighters were also set to carry out measurements inside the flat to check for smoke contamination.
The municipality has set up a contact line for family members who are concerned about a loved one and can’t reach them: 088 0908 000 (or +31 88 0908 000 from outside the Netherlands).
Were you affected by last night’s explosion, or do you know someone who was? Let us know how you’re doing in the comments below.
EDIT: In an earlier version of this article, it was stated that there were seven deceased, there were seven wounded. This has been edited.
