Two people were taken to hospital after an explosion ripped through a block of flats in the Amsterdam suburb of Diemen on Thursday afternoon.

Part of the front wall of the building came down in the blast, which was followed by a fire. The entire block has now been evacuated.

Photographs of the building show serious damage to the first and second floors and a large amount of rubble lying in the grass. According to news agency ANP, one of the properties was being renovated and the blast may have been caused by a gas leak.