BUILDING COLLAPSES IN THE HAGUE

One person has died and three people have been injured following the collapse of a building in the Dutch city of The Hague.

The incident took place early on Saturday morning.

Several people have been reported missing with authorities saying that “the chance that living people will be found is very small”.

Although the cause of the disaster is unknown at this stage, Mayor Jan van Zanen said at a news conference that there was a small explosion reported, followed by a larger one shortly thereafter.

The building consisted of five apartments, and had been reduced to ash and rubble.

Police called on the public to give information regarding a car speeding away from the scene around the time the explosions took place.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof offered his assistance to local authorities and said he was shocked by the news.

Sky News reports that Dutch authorities have deployed a specialised urban search and rescue team to the scene, along with four dogs trained to find victims.

Image credit: France24