An iconic church in Amsterdam has been partially destroyed after a fire destroyed its tower in the early hours of New Year’s Day.The Vondelkerk, located next to the city’s famous Vondelpark, collapsed as the 2026 celebrations were underway. The fire is believed to have started shortly after midnight and was quickly declared a major fire and a regional emergency.The cause of the fire was initially unknown.The Netherlands endured a turbulent New Year’s Eve marked by two fireworks-related deaths and what police described as “unprecedented” violence against law enforcement.
Nine Kooiman, head of the Dutch police union, said there had been an “unprecedented level of violence against police and emergency services” during the night. She said she was thrown at three times with fireworks and other explosives while working shifts in Amsterdam, AFP reported. Just after midnight, authorities issued a rare nationwide cellphone alert urging people not to contact emergency services unless their lives were at risk as call centers were overwhelmed. There were reports of attacks on police and firefighters across the country, including in the southern city of Breda, where petrol bombs were thrown at police.An eye clinic in Rotterdam said it treated 14 patients for eye injuries, including 10 minors, two of whom required surgery.With a ban on unofficial fireworks set to come into effect next year, fireworks have been purchased in large quantities. According to the Dutch Pyrotechnics Association, revelers spent a record 129 million euros ($151 million) on fireworks.Although some areas were designated fireworks-free zones, the measures appeared to have had little effect.
