Police officers from the special intervention service take part in an operation at the Erasmus MC hospital that has been cordonned off following reports of a shooting, in Rotterdam, on September 28, 2023. (Photo by Sem van der Wal / ANP / AFP)
The Hague: Twin shootings in Rotterdam on Thursday have resulted in an unknown number of fatalities, police said.
A gunman dressed in combat gear opened fire in a flat in the Dutch city then burst into a nearby medical centre.
Fires broke out in both places but were later extinguished.
"The two shooting incidents in Rotterdam have resulted in fatalities. We will first inform family and relatives and will explain more later," the city police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Elite police units had burst into the hospital in the Dutch city searching for the suspect, who was armed with a handgun, authorities said.
The suspect is 32 and the motive for the attack is unknown, local news agency ANP said, citing police.
Pictures from the scene showed people streaming out of the hospital, including medics, as police in body armour moved in.
Police had earlier said the suspect was wearing "combat style" clothes, was tall, with black hair and carrying a backpack.
Rotterdam is often the scene of shootings, usually attributed to score settling by rival drug gangs.
Authorities were expected to hold a news conference shortly to give more details.
In 2019, three people were shot dead on a tram in Utrecht, sparking a huge manhunt.
