A grandfather lifts his grandson above his head so he can see over the plastic fences. “Oh…” sighs the boy. He sees the block of houses with a gaping hole full of rubble in the middle. More local residents are peeking through the holes in the plastic. The demolition crane is stationary on Sundays. Cars stop every now and then, people get out, look and take pictures. Then they drive away again.
Schammenkamp is recovering. Less than a week ago, the street in Rotterdam's Zuidwijk was shocked by a huge explosion and fierce fire. This weekend it turned out that it was probably caused by a drug lab. Drugs! The local residents who talk to each other behind the fences can't get over it. A drug lab in a residential area, under apartments. Who comes up with something like that?
If it is true – the investigation has not yet been completed – drugs were manufactured in a basement box of the building. It is the warehouse next to the bathroom company Moosa Bouw where, just next to the entrance, customers could view various shower taps on a plate – silver and gold. And where bathroom tiles were displayed inside to make the choice easier. Right next to it was a storage for white goods that was also completely destroyed
The tenant of the basement box where the explosion took place, Jalal O., a 34-year-old Rotterdam resident, was arrested this weekend. He is suspected of involvement in the manufacture of narcotics at the Schammenkamp. He is the uncle of 22-year-old Ilyas who died in the fire, as well as his colleague Mustafa, 33, and the neighbor, bathroom shop owner Kamran Khan (43). The three bodies were buried under the rubble after the explosion and it took great effort to recover them.
The indignation of relatives increased as the search continued. The impact made the building unstable and the top floors had to be removed before the search could begin.
Through the fences
Khan's family broke through the fences on Wednesday and entered the property to conduct their own search. Suspect O. was also there. The body was eventually recovered by family members, assisted by police officers. That same evening, Jalal O. and a brother of Ilyas tried to enter the site again. They were stopped by the police.
Jalal O. previously told his story to colleagues at the regional news site Rijnmond. He said that he was also working in the warehouse on the Monday evening in question, but that he left forty minutes before the explosion. He returned when he heard about the fire and was unable to contact the two men inside. He had no idea, he said, what could have exploded. In his opinion there was not much that was dangerous. “We even make tea electrically.” Not a word about the jerry cans and barrels with acetone and hydrochloric acid that the police found during the search for the victim where O.'s business premises were located.
It is still being investigated whether the chemicals could have been the cause of the explosion.
Perhaps local residents had an idea that something was wrong, although they could never have anticipated in advance what the consequences could be. A week before the fire, they reported a strange smell, police said. Possibly gas or acetone. At the press conference after the discovery of the three victims, the police said that measurements had been taken after the reports and nothing was found.
Now local residents say that they immediately had the feeling that the explosion could not have been the result of an exploded gas cylinder or battery. “I live two flats away and I came up from the couch because of the impact,” says an older man. The owner of the Turkish restaurant around the corner also immediately thought about drugs, she says. She suffered little damage, but had to throw away all the frozen meat from the freezer because the electricity went out.
Apartments destroyed
After the explosion, residents of 44 apartments had to leave their homes and were housed in hotels. Some of the apartments are accessible again. A number of apartments have been destroyed, and another solution is being sought for those residents. Seven parties in the Rotterdam city council have sent a letter to the council in which they insist on a large-scale inspection of all possible drug labs and nurseries in the city. The letter was signed by Leefbaar, VVD, 50Plus, Forum, Party for the Animals, D66 and SP.
#drug #lab #residential #area
