Probe begins into cause of Dutch gas blast that injured 10

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch authorities are investigating the cause of a gas explosion that blew the facade off an apartment building, injuring 10 people, including four who were rescued from under the rubble.

Firefighters and search-and-rescue teams using sniffer dogs freed the final person early Monday after he had spent some eight hours buried in the wreckage in a neighbourhood of The Hague.

The Dutch city says that 27 apartments have been evacuated. The powerful blast on Sunday scattered broken glass over streets more than a block away and sent bricks crashing onto a car and a van parked in front of the building.

The Hague says eight of the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. Their conditions were not known.