With the settlement at the end of 2023 (see box), the matter will largely be resolved for the majority of the affected families. When asked about their feelings about the fact that ‘it has already been two years’, the answer is mainly that they want to put it behind them. It has been a difficult period for everyone, things did not go well and the fact that there were so many people affected did not always make the aftermath easy. “Everyone has their sadness and anger about what happened, but some residents acted as if they were the only ones,” responds one of the former residents. Another also emphasizes not wanting to look back too much. “We move on with our lives, of course we will reflect on it ourselves on Sunday. But that’s it.”
Two years after the Bilthoven apartment building explosion, local residents have not yet gotten rid of the ‘gaping hole’
