Devastation after explosion in Amsterdam.© ANP
THE HAGUE
More explosives are still being set off in the Netherlands. In the first three months of this year there were at least 212 deliberate explosions, compared to approximately 150 in the last quarter of 2023. On average, there were almost three hits every day this year, according to a count by the ANP.
Houses were the target in eight out of ten cases, followed at a distance by commercial properties (14 percent). An explosive device has gone off at least once in almost all provinces so far this year.
In total, explosives went off in 61 different municipalities. In two thirds of them this happened for the first time this year. The most explosives went off in Amsterdam (at least 36 explosions) and Rotterdam (33), followed by The Hague (14) and Vlaardingen (11).
It also happened regularly outside the Randstad. There were four explosions in Eindhoven, two in Apeldoorn, Enschede, Nijmegen and Hengelo.
Most explosions this year happened late in the evening or at night. But also during the day, between seven in the morning and seven in the evening, there were at least sixteen explosions.
The ANP count only includes incidents involving explosives that were deliberately placed and actually went off, and that were reported by the police or in the media. The actual number may be even higher.
