Headlines April
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Devastating Etten-Leur fire under control, extinguishing still takes hours
A blazing fire completely destroyed the Axell Logistics building on the Hermelijnweg in Etten-Leur on Monday. The fire is now under control, but it will take hours before it is completely extinguished. As a precaution, some houses were evacuated. Because of the seriousness of the situation, NL-Alerts were sent out. Thick, jet-black clouds of smoke could be seen far into the area. The fire at the international transport company in the Vosdonk business park broke out around 9:30 in the morning. Initially a meter cupboard fire was reported to the fire department. But the fire department quickly scaled up because of the presence of a whole bunch of PET bottles in the warehouse and the size of the building. The mayor thanked the emergency services. He himself also went to see the fire. "Needless to say, the fire has had a great impact. Especially on the owner of Axell Logistics. That became clear when I visited the site in the afternoon and spoke to him."
Houses evacuated
Some houses on the Hoevenseweg in Etten-Leur were evacuated as a precaution due to inconvenience caused by the smoke. Fire trucks came to Etten-Leur from all over the region. The fire was also fought from aerial platforms. The fire department wanted to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. This succeeded. The fire department tried to extinguish the fire with a so-called stop line. This involved extinguishing from one wall to stop the rest of the fire. The jet-black clouds of smoke were seen in the far surroundings.
Curious local residents
Many local residents descended on the fire. Employees of packaging company Pet Power, which is located right next to the logistics company, also gathered at the scene. The packaging company's plastic bottles are stored at Axell Logistics and are now lost. "This does concern me," said one man, who has worked at Pet Power for 23 years. He feared the heat would also cause damage at his own building. A former employee of the company who came to check it out reacted with shock, "It affects me, even though I'm no longer employed there." A lot of smoke was released, precipitating mainly in Zevenbergen and the surrounding area. "As the crow flies, I live no more than four hundred meters from here. I wasn't at home because we had an Easter breakfast somewhere else, but was already sent photos and videos and wanted to take a look," local resident Pim told me. He called it sad for the two business owners. "In Etten-Leur we get away well, in Zevenbergen they are less lucky."
Three people in the building
At the time the fire at Axell Logistics was discovered, three people were in the building. Those were able to flee in time, according to a spokesman for the safety region. "The fire started in a small corner, but quickly raged throughout the building," a 911 correspondent told me around quarter past 10 in the morning. He then saw the bulkheads falling off the side of the building. "The building is going down," he was sure even then.
True contempt for death
In the afternoon, part of the building collapsed. Several cars were parked near the building. "Those the people present drove away with true death defiance," he said.
Road closure
The fire drew many spectators. Because of the fire, the N640 from Etten-Leur towards Oudenbosch was closed between industrial area Vosdonk and Hoeven.
Source: https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4259023/zo-ziet-de-verwoestende-brand-bij-het-transportbedrijf-in-etten-leur-eruit
Shortage of planes at Transavia, thousands of passengers affected
Due to a shortage of planes at Transavia, 5 percent of flights in April and May will be changed or canceled. The company does not want to mention numbers, but according to the Volkskrant, 50,000 passengers are affected. The airline will certainly not have six planes from its fleet available until May.
Four planes must remain grounded because of problems with paperwork. There is no safety certification for the planes, which Transavia leases from the Romanian airline Blue Air. Two aircraft are undergoing major maintenance and mechanics are waiting for parts from aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Right to compensation
According to Transavia, in most cases (85%) the flights can be rebooked, in the remaining cases they are thus canceled. It is estimated that 42,500 and 7,500 passengers respectively were affected. They were informed on April 4. A spokesperson let it be known that everyone whose flight was changed or canceled can count on a full refund if there is a need. Based on European rules, travelers whose flight is changed or canceled within two weeks before departure are also entitled to additional compensation. They must apply for this themselves. Travelers outside this period are not entitled to this.
It is not yet clear when Transavia's fleet will be complete again. "We hope that will be the case as soon as possible, but we cannot give any guarantees," the company states.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2471411-transavia-komt-vliegtuigen-tekort-en-wijzigt-of-annuleert-vlucht-50-000-passagiers
Albert Heijn distribution centers strike, 'consequences cannot be estimated'
Employees at Albert Heijn distribution centers are striking today for a better collective bargaining agreement. This is reported by trade unions CNV and FNV. There was also a strike yesterday. The unions had given the supermarket chain until 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon to come up with a good proposal for wage increases, but according to FNV, Albert Heijn's management did not respond to the demands and work is therefore being suspended.
The union is betting on a wage increase of 14.3 percent plus 100 euros gross per month. The FNV also wants wages to rise in line with store prices from now on. CNV wants a wage increase "with at least two decimal places." Albert Heijn proposes a wage increase of 6 percent immediately and 2 percent from January. "The deadlock in the negotiations means that distribution center employees will have to wait longer for the proposed wage increase and we regret that," the supermarket chain stated in a response. In addition to the wage increase, the unions also demand that the supplement for working on Sundays for new employees remain 100 percent of the normal salary (i.e., paid twice on Sundays). Albert Heijn wants to reduce the supplement to 50 percent.
'Consequences not yet assessable'
The strike began yesterday at the distribution center in Geldermalsen. There, part-time employees laid off work after 7 p.m. At the locations in Pijnacker and Zaandam the strike lasted from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. The supermarket chain cannot yet estimate what consequences the strikes will have for store supplies. FNV general manager Sewbaks says that by the end of the day Monday the shelves in some stores will already be empty. "But that is difficult to estimate. It doesn't happen right away. It's a process." Albert Heijn says it is open to further talks with the unions. "In doing so, both we and FNV and CNV will have to take steps to reach good agreements for our colleagues at the distribution centers." Longer strikes will follow today. Full-time employees in Geldermalsen, Pijnacker, Tilburg and Zwolle will strike from 7 a.m. this morning through Wednesday. Sewbaks: "Whether we continue depends on what Albert Heijn comes up with."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2472571-staking-distributiecentra-albert-heijn-gevolgen-niet-in-te-schatten
Dangerous patient: emergency room Hilversum hospital closed for three hours
The emergency room of the Hilversum hospital Tergooi was closed for almost three hours last night because of a potentially dangerous situation. According to a spokesman, a patient came in who had ingested a potentially dangerous substance and there was danger to others.
Around 0.30 a.m. the patient came in. This person would have possibly ingested a liquid that could be dangerous to hospital staff and other patients if exhaled. The spokesperson explains that it is then standard procedure to close the entire ward. A special team from the fire department examined the patient and concluded that the substance he had ingested was not dangerous. Around 3:15 a.m., the emergency room reopened.
Rare
Many emergency services descended on the incident to secure the area, but the emergency room was not evacuated. According to the spokesperson, a situation like this does not happen often. Interviews were held with hospital staff to make sure everyone was still okay. Tergooi has since returned to normal operations. The patient himself, under the circumstances, also seems to be doing well. He is in the hospital's regular nursing ward.
Source: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/318114/gevaarlijke-patient-eerste-hulp-hilversums-ziekenhuis-drie-uur-dicht
A blazing fire completely destroyed the Axell Logistics building on the Hermelijnweg in Etten-Leur on Monday. The fire is now under control, but it will take hours before it is completely extinguished. As a precaution, some houses were evacuated. Because of the seriousness of the situation, NL-Alerts were sent out. Thick, jet-black clouds of smoke could be seen far into the area. The fire at the international transport company in the Vosdonk business park broke out around 9:30 in the morning. Initially a meter cupboard fire was reported to the fire department. But the fire department quickly scaled up because of the presence of a whole bunch of PET bottles in the warehouse and the size of the building. The mayor thanked the emergency services. He himself also went to see the fire. "Needless to say, the fire has had a great impact. Especially on the owner of Axell Logistics. That became clear when I visited the site in the afternoon and spoke to him."
Houses evacuated
Some houses on the Hoevenseweg in Etten-Leur were evacuated as a precaution due to inconvenience caused by the smoke. Fire trucks came to Etten-Leur from all over the region. The fire was also fought from aerial platforms. The fire department wanted to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. This succeeded. The fire department tried to extinguish the fire with a so-called stop line. This involved extinguishing from one wall to stop the rest of the fire. The jet-black clouds of smoke were seen in the far surroundings.
Curious local residents
Many local residents descended on the fire. Employees of packaging company Pet Power, which is located right next to the logistics company, also gathered at the scene. The packaging company's plastic bottles are stored at Axell Logistics and are now lost. "This does concern me," said one man, who has worked at Pet Power for 23 years. He feared the heat would also cause damage at his own building. A former employee of the company who came to check it out reacted with shock, "It affects me, even though I'm no longer employed there." A lot of smoke was released, precipitating mainly in Zevenbergen and the surrounding area. "As the crow flies, I live no more than four hundred meters from here. I wasn't at home because we had an Easter breakfast somewhere else, but was already sent photos and videos and wanted to take a look," local resident Pim told me. He called it sad for the two business owners. "In Etten-Leur we get away well, in Zevenbergen they are less lucky."
Three people in the building
At the time the fire at Axell Logistics was discovered, three people were in the building. Those were able to flee in time, according to a spokesman for the safety region. "The fire started in a small corner, but quickly raged throughout the building," a 911 correspondent told me around quarter past 10 in the morning. He then saw the bulkheads falling off the side of the building. "The building is going down," he was sure even then.
True contempt for death
In the afternoon, part of the building collapsed. Several cars were parked near the building. "Those the people present drove away with true death defiance," he said.
Road closure
The fire drew many spectators. Because of the fire, the N640 from Etten-Leur towards Oudenbosch was closed between industrial area Vosdonk and Hoeven.
Source: https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4259023/zo-ziet-de-verwoestende-brand-bij-het-transportbedrijf-in-etten-leur-eruit
Shortage of planes at Transavia, thousands of passengers affected
Due to a shortage of planes at Transavia, 5 percent of flights in April and May will be changed or canceled. The company does not want to mention numbers, but according to the Volkskrant, 50,000 passengers are affected. The airline will certainly not have six planes from its fleet available until May.
Four planes must remain grounded because of problems with paperwork. There is no safety certification for the planes, which Transavia leases from the Romanian airline Blue Air. Two aircraft are undergoing major maintenance and mechanics are waiting for parts from aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Right to compensation
According to Transavia, in most cases (85%) the flights can be rebooked, in the remaining cases they are thus canceled. It is estimated that 42,500 and 7,500 passengers respectively were affected. They were informed on April 4. A spokesperson let it be known that everyone whose flight was changed or canceled can count on a full refund if there is a need. Based on European rules, travelers whose flight is changed or canceled within two weeks before departure are also entitled to additional compensation. They must apply for this themselves. Travelers outside this period are not entitled to this.
It is not yet clear when Transavia's fleet will be complete again. "We hope that will be the case as soon as possible, but we cannot give any guarantees," the company states.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2471411-transavia-komt-vliegtuigen-tekort-en-wijzigt-of-annuleert-vlucht-50-000-passagiers
Albert Heijn distribution centers strike, 'consequences cannot be estimated'
Employees at Albert Heijn distribution centers are striking today for a better collective bargaining agreement. This is reported by trade unions CNV and FNV. There was also a strike yesterday. The unions had given the supermarket chain until 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon to come up with a good proposal for wage increases, but according to FNV, Albert Heijn's management did not respond to the demands and work is therefore being suspended.
The union is betting on a wage increase of 14.3 percent plus 100 euros gross per month. The FNV also wants wages to rise in line with store prices from now on. CNV wants a wage increase "with at least two decimal places." Albert Heijn proposes a wage increase of 6 percent immediately and 2 percent from January. "The deadlock in the negotiations means that distribution center employees will have to wait longer for the proposed wage increase and we regret that," the supermarket chain stated in a response. In addition to the wage increase, the unions also demand that the supplement for working on Sundays for new employees remain 100 percent of the normal salary (i.e., paid twice on Sundays). Albert Heijn wants to reduce the supplement to 50 percent.
'Consequences not yet assessable'
The strike began yesterday at the distribution center in Geldermalsen. There, part-time employees laid off work after 7 p.m. At the locations in Pijnacker and Zaandam the strike lasted from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. The supermarket chain cannot yet estimate what consequences the strikes will have for store supplies. FNV general manager Sewbaks says that by the end of the day Monday the shelves in some stores will already be empty. "But that is difficult to estimate. It doesn't happen right away. It's a process." Albert Heijn says it is open to further talks with the unions. "In doing so, both we and FNV and CNV will have to take steps to reach good agreements for our colleagues at the distribution centers." Longer strikes will follow today. Full-time employees in Geldermalsen, Pijnacker, Tilburg and Zwolle will strike from 7 a.m. this morning through Wednesday. Sewbaks: "Whether we continue depends on what Albert Heijn comes up with."
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2472571-staking-distributiecentra-albert-heijn-gevolgen-niet-in-te-schatten
Dangerous patient: emergency room Hilversum hospital closed for three hours
The emergency room of the Hilversum hospital Tergooi was closed for almost three hours last night because of a potentially dangerous situation. According to a spokesman, a patient came in who had ingested a potentially dangerous substance and there was danger to others.
Around 0.30 a.m. the patient came in. This person would have possibly ingested a liquid that could be dangerous to hospital staff and other patients if exhaled. The spokesperson explains that it is then standard procedure to close the entire ward. A special team from the fire department examined the patient and concluded that the substance he had ingested was not dangerous. Around 3:15 a.m., the emergency room reopened.
Rare
Many emergency services descended on the incident to secure the area, but the emergency room was not evacuated. According to the spokesperson, a situation like this does not happen often. Interviews were held with hospital staff to make sure everyone was still okay. Tergooi has since returned to normal operations. The patient himself, under the circumstances, also seems to be doing well. He is in the hospital's regular nursing ward.
Source: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/318114/gevaarlijke-patient-eerste-hulp-hilversums-ziekenhuis-drie-uur-dicht
Translated from Dutch to English with Google translate