Two girls aged 11 and 12 have died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a house in Huizen, south east of Amsterdam, and a 10-year-old girl is very seriously ill in hospital, news agency ANP reports.

The three girls, all friends, were apparently in the bathroom when the carbon monoxide alarm went off. The parents tried to open the door but when it was eventually smashed down by emergency service workers, the girls were found unconscious inside.