Three people have been pulled from the rubble of a house in the town of Oldenzaal in Twente which collapsed following a gas explosion.

A couple and their daughter were rescued and taken to hospital after the detached home on a new estate fell apart, leaving only the roof intact. The father was the last to be freed after experts, specialised in difficult rescues, were brought in.

As yet, officials have not made any comment about how serious their injuries are. The son and an engineer who were able to free themselves after the blast, were also taken to hospital.

Neighbours told local newspaper Tubantia that the engineer was installing a charging station next to the house. It is thought he may have hit a gas main while working.

A number of other houses were damaged in the blast.

Next door neighbour Erik, who was at work at the time of the blast, told RTL Nieuws that his son thought fireworks had gone off. ‘There is nothing left but rubble,’ he said.

Digging work damages gas pipes and electricity cables some 20,000 time a year, a spokesman for the national grid Netbeheer Nederland told RTL.