Huge blast destroys several buildings and leaves fire raging as four injured & fears of more buried under rubble

A MAJOR explosion has sparked a fire and destroyed several buildings in a popular European city with at least four people injured. Multiple buildings collapsed in the center of Utrecht with rescue crews fearing people may still be trapped beneath the rubble. There was “extensive damage” caused with witnesses claiming everything in the blast site was destroyed. The cause of the explosion near to Visscherssteeg remains unknown. Emergency helicopters were deployed alongside fire crews to help fight the fire. Local officials said in a statement: “Several buildings collapsed after the explosion. read more in the Netherlands “Four people were injured. They were taken to the emergency hospital for treatment.” Residents were quickly evacuated with a warning in place urging people to avoid the area. Fire officials have spent hours at the scene extinguishing the flames but are yet to be able to enter the building where the blast is believed to have come from. They fear the charred roof could collapse in on itself at any moment. Most read in The US Sun The local safety body has warned that some injured residents could still be trapped inside the buildings and have no way of escaping without help. Emergency services spokesman Sjaak Haasnoot added: “It is very difficult at the moment to say how many victims are under the rubble. “The fire department cannot enter the building because it is still unstable.” Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma called it a “truly enormous explosion.” She has spoken to “shocked and terrified” residents and assured them any damage to their homes will be reported as soon as possible. Utrecht is one of the Netherlands‘ largest cities with a population of around 380,000. The fire comes just over two weeks since New Year celebrations turned into a tragedy . A devastating fire ripped through a historic Amsterdam church. Flames tore through the iconic building, collapsing its 164ft tower and causing severe damage to the roof. The same night saw two people killed by fireworks as the country faced “unprecedented” violence. A 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen and a 38-year-old man from Aalsmeer died in separate incidents, while three other people were left seriously injured.

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