Reuters-A gas leak led to an explosion in the Hague that injured nine people when part of their three-storey apartment building collapsed, the Dutch city’s fire department said on Sunday (January 27).

In a statement, the Hague fire department said seven people had been taken to nearby hospitals.

Dutch broadcaster NOS said one person remained stuck under the rubble but was alive.

NOS also reported that the fire department established contact with the victim but that the rescue operation was complicated by the instability of the building.

RTL Nieuws reported that residents complained of a gas smell a week before the incident but that checks found no trace of a leak.