After which at least five people were killed and four were injured. Explosions rocked a block of flats in the Dutch city of The Hague, officials said.
Firefighters rushed to a three-story building in the Tervikamp area at around 06:15 (05:15 GMT) on Saturday after the explosions caused several houses to collapse.
The city’s mayor, Jan van Zeenen, said it was not known how many people were still missing.
The cause of the explosions is still unclear, but Dutch police say a car drove off “at a very high speed” shortly afterwards, and have appealed for witnesses.
Van Zeenen said there was little chance of survivors being pulled from the wreckage, and urged the community to prepare for the “worst case scenario.”
It was previously believed that 20 people would have been in the flats at the time of the explosion, but the mayor refused to speculate.
Dutch Fire Service He said that the death of five people has been confirmed..
Dutch media reported that five flats were destroyed in the blast.
Rescue teams with sniffer dogs have been deployed to clear the debris, but parts of the site are too dangerous to access.
A large excavator has been brought in to remove the debris and lighting erected at the site.
Fourteen-year-old Adam Muller told the AFP news agency that the explosion “felt like an earthquake”.
He said that I was sleeping when suddenly there was a huge explosion.
He added, “I looked out the window and just saw flames. It’s a huge shock.”
The national police commissioner in the Netherlands, Jenny Knoll, said there was “mistrust and uncertainty” in the community.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said in a statement: “We sympathize with all those who have been personally affected or who fear for the fate of their loved ones.”