Car explodes in city center: driver must be extinguished

Amsterdam (Netherlands) - A car and its driver went up in flames in the Dutch capital Amsterdam. The background is still unclear.

On Thursday, a red car drove directly in front of the national monument on the central Dam Square, as video footage on social media shows.

Several people were in the immediate vicinity at the time when the vehicle suddenly burst into flames. Some of them immediately started to run away.

Eyewitnesses told the Dutch magazine"De Telegraaf" that there was an "implosion" inside the car.

Shortly afterwards, thick black smoke rose from the vehicle, the driver's door opened and the burning driver rolled out. Another video shows how the fire department extinguished the car, which was now fully engulfed in flames, while rescue workers tended to the man on the asphalt.

Meanwhile, little is known about the background to the incident. The police announced in a post on X that the dam had been closed due to the burning car. It is suspected that the man caused the vehicle fire himself. The police later stated that it was possibly a suicide attempt.

The driver himself was injured and arrested. He is in hospital and is not fit for questioning, according to the police. Bystanders were not injured.

Following the extinguishing work, explosives specialists carried out further investigations on the burnt car and the explosive ordnance disposal service was also called in.

Last week, there was a knife attack in the immediate vicinity in which a Ukrainian citizen stabbed passers-by indiscriminately and injured a total of five people.

TAG24 does not normally report on suicides. However, as the incident took place in a public space, the editorial team decided to report on it.

If you are affected by suicidal thoughts yourself, you can contact the telephone counseling service around the clock, anonymously of course. Telephone counseling: 08001110111 or 08001110222 or 08001110116123.

First reported on April 3, 3.40 pm. Last updated at 10.05 pm.