At least five people died and four others were subsequently injured Dutch authorities said that explosions rocked a residential building in The Hague, Netherlands.
Firefighters rushed to the three-storey building following the explosions that caused several houses to collapse in the Taroekamp area at around 06:15 (05:15 GMT) on Saturday.
The city's mayor, Jan Van Zanen, said it is not known how many people are still missing.
The cause of the explosions is not yet clear, but Dutch police said that a car drove away at a “very high speed” shortly after, and they appealed for eyewitnesses.
Van Zanen said the chance of survivors being recovered from the rubble was slim, and he urged the community to prepare for the “worst case scenario.”
It was previously thought that up to 20 people may have been in the apartments at the time of the explosion, but the mayor refused to speculate on this.
Dutch Fire Service Five people were confirmed dead, he said.
Dutch media reported that five apartments were destroyed in the explosion.
Rescue teams equipped with sniffer dogs have been deployed to examine the rubble, but parts of the site remain too dangerous to access.
A large excavator was brought in to remove the rubble and install lighting at the site.
14-year-old Adam Mueller told AFP news agency that the explosion “felt like an earthquake.”
“I was sleeping and suddenly there was this huge explosion,” he said.
He added: “I looked out the window and saw flames. It was a huge shock.”
Netherlands National Police Commissioner Janne Knoll said there was “disbelief and uncertainty” in society.
“We sympathize with all those who have been personally affected or who fear for the fate of their loved ones,” King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands said in a statement.
