COVID-19: Explosion at coronavirus testing centre near Amsterdam appears intentional, police say

An explosion outside a coronavirus testing centre close to the Dutch capital of Amsterdam appears to have been intentional, police have said.

The blast in the town of Bovenkarspel, north of the capital, happened at 6.55am before the centre opened and caused no injuries.

The explosive "must have been placed" there, a police spokesman said.

Windows were shattered in the blast and the metal remains of the explosive were found at the front of the building.

A security guard reported the explosion to police.

Police spokesman Menno Hartenberg said: "We don't know yet exactly what exploded, the explosives experts must first investigate.

"What we're saying is that something like that doesn't just happen by accident, it has to be laid."

In a statement, Dutch police said the security guard had "heard a loud bang and then saw that several windows of the building had broken".

"Outside the building was a metal cylinder that had exploded."

The region around Bovenkarspel, a rural town 35 miles (56km) north of Amsterdam, is currently suffering one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the Netherlands.

It has 181 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with around 27 per 100,000 nationally.

At least one hospital has been forced to send patients to other provinces due to lack of space in its intensive care units.

The explosion also comes shortly before national elections on 17 March, which are widely seen as a referendum on the government's handling of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD Party is likely to remain the largest, according to opinion polls.

Wednesday marks the first day in several months in which lockdown measures in the Netherlands have been eased.

Non-essential stores are allowed to accept a small number of visitors by appointment and hairdressers can start welcoming customers.

However, a curfew from 9pm to 4.30am remains in place.

Anger against healthcare authorities has increased since the start of 2021 and the head of the country's National Institute for Health is now accompanied by a security detail to public appearances.