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Utrecht City-Centre Blast: Partial Reopening as Investigation Focuses on Suspected Gas

Displaced residents receive hotel shelter, with the worst‑damaged block closed for safety checks.

Overview

  • Authorities reopened Boterstraat, Zadelstraat, Mariaplaats and part of Visschersplein, while the core impact area on Visscherssteeg remains cordoned off due to collapse risk.
  • Officials report three people with minor injuries, one still in hospital, and an onlooker who became unwell, with no fatalities or missing persons confirmed.
  • Investigators say gas is the likely cause based on early assessments and witness reports, though the exact source has not been confirmed and forensic work continues.
  • Repair crews and Stichting Salvage are boarding shattered windows and securing properties, with about 150 damage reports filed and work deferred in the most unstable zone.
  • The municipality opened an information point and arranged hotel accommodation ‘as long as needed,’ allowing escorted retrieval of essentials from some properties, while utilities are being reconnected in released streets.