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A police investigation is underway following the explosion
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One person has died and several others were wounded in an explosion at the Netherlands' Rotterdam port on Thursday, a Rotterdam police spokesperson said, adding that the cause of the blast remains unclear and under investigation.
In a statement posted on X, Rotterdam police said: "An explosion occurred on the Moezelweg (road) around 11:30am (0930 GMT). We are investigating how this happened".
They further confirmed: "The crime scene has been cordoned off."
Simultaneously, Gunvor Energy, which operates oil product storage tanks in the same area near the port, reported a separate "incident" during maintenance activity on Thursday morning that left at least several people injured, a spokesperson said.
"We are cooperating with local authorities," the spokesperson for Gunvor said.
Earlier on Thursday, local media reported that several power outages had affected Rotterdam port.
Police and local safety authorities said they are still investigating whether there was a link between those power outages and the explosion.
The Rotterdam port, which is the largest in Europe, includes an oil refinery and multiple petrochemicals facilities.
A spokesperson for the oil company Shell confirmed the explosion “has not impacted Shell's operation”.
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