Lucky escape for jazz club patrons

9 December 2003

AMSTERDAM — Twenty-five people can consider themselves lucky as they survived a potentially fatal leak of carbon monoxide on Monday night.

The level of carbon monoxide was 12 times higher than the acceptable limit, but partygoers were only taken to the Dijkzigt Hospital for precautionary examinations. They have since been discharged, news agency ANP reported.

The cause of the gas leak was being investigated on Tuesday, but it is believed a defect in a central heating boiler was to blame.

The cafe, in a basement on the Schiehaven, has been temporarily closed.

The fire brigade and health authority GGD quickly arrived on the scene on Monday night, but none of the cafe patrons lost consciousness. One man had trouble speaking.

Police said the concentration of carbon monoxide was so high, that had the victims remained inside the cafe for another 30 minutes, some of them would probably have died.

The jazz cafe is busier on weekends and the fire brigade said it was fortunate the gas leak did not occur on Saturday night, when the consequences could have been much worse.

A fire brigade officer also said a permit was recently approved for the cafe, but admitted that the brigade’s inspections only cover fire safety precautions. The central heating system is not examined.

Subject: Dutch news