One person killed and several hurt after explosion in Dutch city

One person has been killed and three others injured when an apartment building collapsed after an explosion in the Netherlands, the mayor of The Hague has said.

It was not clear how many people may be missing after the disaster in Mariahoeve, Jan van Zanen said.

Residents said they heard a huge bang and screams before dawn and one woman told local media she thought there had been an earthquake.

Part of one apartment complex collapsed and a fire broke out.

Four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital, officials said, adding others could still be trapped.

One person told broadcaster NOS they heard a child calling for help as the building burned.

Images of the scene showed one area, encompassing five apartments, had been reduced to ashes and rubble.

Dutch authorities have deployed a specialised urban search and rescue team to the scene, along with four dogs trained to find victims.

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The cause of the disaster is unclear, but police said they are looking for a car seen leaving the scene.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was shocked by images of the disaster and had offered assistance to local authorities.