DutchAmsterdam.nl — An explosion of a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam on Thursday severely injured a passer-by and caused windows of cars and houses up to 100 meters away to break.
Blast destroys houseboat in Amsterdam
Four people were treated for light injuries.
The identities of the injured have not yet been made public.
Locals says the houseboat was home to a young couple with a small child.
Fire broke out after the explosion, and a short while later the houseboat sank.
The blast uprooted a tree next to the houseboat, which was located across from Oudeschans 40.
A reporter says that houses in a full block closest to the houseboat show visible damage, while the windows of those across the canal are broken.
On Twitter people in the neighborhood said that the blast was heard and felt over a large area.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf says neighbors report smelling gas shortly before the blast.
The paper speculates the explosion could have been caused by an ruptured bottle of gas.
Many houseboats use space heaters powered by bottled gas.
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