Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Blasts badly damage 2 Polish supermarkets in the Netherlands

Police say two Polish supermarkets in the Netherlands have been badly damaged by explosions

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 08 December 2020 06:54 EST
Netherlands Explosion
Netherlands Explosion (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Two Polish supermarkets in the Netherlands were badly damaged by explosions early Tuesday, police said. Nobody was injured in the blasts in Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam, and in a small town in the North Brabant province.

It was not immediately clear if the explosions were linked. Both stores were called Biedronka, but are not part of a large network of budget stores of the same name in Poland.

Amsterdam police appealed for witnesses to the blast in Aalsmeer, which happened around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) and caused major damage to the store and nearby buildings as well as setting a parked car ablaze.

“It's a miracle nobody was injured,” Mayor Gido Oude Kotte told Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Forensic investigators were picking through charred wreckage in the supermarket in Aalsmeer on Tuesday.

Police said they evacuated some 20 people as a precaution after a blast at the Polish store in Heeswijk-Dinther destroyed much of the store and damaged nearby buildings.

There are dozens of Polish stores dotted across the Netherlands, a popular destination for workers from Poland.

____

AP writer Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in