Robbers bind ski centre staff for the night

20 February 2004

AMSTERDAM — Eight staff of SnowWorld in Zoetermeer were forced to spend the entire night at work locked in the building’s toilet after three to five men armed with a gun bound and tied them during a raid of the indoor skiing complex.

The armed robbers stormed into the complex at about 1am on Friday. They chained and bound the staff before escaping with the contents of the safe. The contents of the safe are not yet known.

The robbers fled in a car of one of the staff members. The car was described as a grey Peugeot 306. One of the workers managed to get free at about 6am and alert police, news agency ANP reported.

A police spokeswoman said the eight victims are very shaken by the incident and the Victim Assistance Bureau (Bureau Slachtofferhulp) has been called in to offer guidance.

Police expected to round off the search for clues at about midday on Friday, but no arrests have been made.

A complex employee said the ski centre opened as normal on Friday morning, but the area where police were conducting their search was sealed off to members of the public.

Subject: Dutch news