Amsterdam: Fire engulfs iconic Vondelkerk church during New Year celebrations; watch – The Times of India

An iconic church in Amsterdam was partially destroyed after a fireplace tore by way of its spire within the early hours of New 12 months’s Day.The Vondelkerk, situated subsequent to the town’s well-known Vondelpark, collapsed in on itself as 2026 celebrations had been underway. The fireplace is believed to have damaged out shortly after midnight and was shortly declared a significant blaze and a regional emergency.The reason for the fireplace was not instantly recognized.The Netherlands noticed a turbulent New 12 months’s Eve marked by two deaths linked to fireworks and what police described as “unprecedented” violence in opposition to regulation enforcement.

9 Kooiman, head of the Dutch Police Union, stated there was an “unprecedented quantity of violence in opposition to police and emergency companies” throughout the evening. She stated she herself was pelted thrice with fireworks and different explosives whereas working a shift in Amsterdam, as cited by AFP. Shortly after midnight, authorities issued a uncommon nationwide cell phone alert urging folks to not contact emergency companies except their lives had been in danger, as name centres had been overwhelmed. Studies of assaults on cops and firefighters emerged from throughout the nation, together with within the southern metropolis of Breda, the place petrol bombs had been thrown at police.An eye fixed hospital in Rotterdam stated it handled 14 sufferers for eye accidents, together with 10 minors, with two requiring surgical procedure.With an anticipated ban on unofficial fireworks set to take impact subsequent yr, fireworks had been bought in giant portions. The Dutch Pyrotechnics Affiliation stated revellers spent a document 129 million euros ($151 million) on fireworks.Though some areas had been designated as firework-free zones, the measures appeared to have had little influence.