Overview
- The blasts were reported around 15:30 local time and set off large fires that damaged multiple buildings in the city center.
- Local emergency services said at least four people were injured, updating earlier reports that cited one casualty.
- Firefighters initially struggled to access the site, and flames intensified again around 17:00 as thick black smoke rose over the area.
- University Medical Center Utrecht opened a temporary hospital with the Dutch Red Cross, and multiple ambulances along with an air ambulance were dispatched.
- Mayor Sharon Dijksma described significant damage with widespread shattered windows and displaced residents, with the cause under active police investigation.