The explosion went off in a three-story apartment building in The Hague, according to the police.
Firefighters rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire, which caused the collapse of several houses in the area of the city of Tarvekamp around 06:15 (05:15 GMT).
Rescuers are looking for up to 20 people who are believed to have been there at the time of the explosion. At the moment, four people have been pulled out from under the rubble.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. But Dutch media say police are looking for the car, which fled minutes after the incident.
