Blast rips through The Hague residential building

Responders with search dogs were deployed to a residential area in The Hague after an explosion in one of the houses on Sunday, local media said.

At least nine people were injured when the building collapsed, the city's fire department said, adding that seven of them were being treated at a hospital.

Emergency services rescued three people from the rubble, but said that at least one person was still trapped. Fire officials said that the trapped man was alive and that they'd made contact with him.

Police confirmed that the explosion was caused by a gas blast, which damaged the surrounding apartment buildings as well.

The residents living near the damaged building have been evacuated from their homes and are being housed in a hotel, the local De Telegraaf paper reported.

The Hague Mayor Pauline Krikke said that the blast had "an enormous impact."

"The next few hours will hopefully bring more clarity," she was quoted as saying.

While Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, The Hague serves as the seat of the country's government. The Hague is located some 55 kilometers (34 miles) southwest of the capital.

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