Volendam fire tragedy scars remain

Volendam fire tragedy scars remain
Volendam youths are suffering from excessive drinking, fear, concentration problems, depression and aggression since the News Year's Eve cafe fire on 1 January 2001, which killed 14 young people in the town, a new report indicates. Large numbers of young people are resorting to alcohol in primarily stress situations, research bureau TNO said in its latest report. "It is a way to handle their memories," a researcher said, indicating that they used alcohol to stop thinking about the disaster and help them relax. A short, but intense blaze broke out in cafe 't Hemeltje in the small fishing village of Volendam after Christmas decorations were accidentally set alight, probably with a sparkler/s. Besides the 14 dead, almost 300 youths were injured, an NOS news report said on Friday

Cafe owner Jan Veerman was recently sentenced to 240 hours community service on charges of culpable homicide and negligence which led to the fire. Both defence lawyers and the prosecution have appealed against the ruling and victims are pressing forward with their legal battle to claim compensation from the cafe boss. Meanwhile, the TNO report also indicated that both boys and girls are engaging in excessive alcohol use, with girls suffering more so than boys from gloominess and fear. They are also prone to worry more, but there has been no notable increase in the use of ecstasy or soft drugs. But the fire did not only have a negative impact on the spiritual wellbeing of those directly involved in the tragedy. School classmates and friends of victims are also experiencing problems due to the loss of loved ones and being confronted on a daily basis by deformed and handicapped youths, the research bureau said, urging for post-tragedy healthcare be given to that group as well.

TNO said its research was a world first, claiming that an assessment of the spiritual wellbeing of youths before and after a disaster had never previously occurred, newspaper Het Parool reported. It said the research was made possible because a study into the effects of a school health programme at the Don Bosco College in Volendam had been initiated before the cafe fire and that this study was continued in the aftermath of the New Year's Eve tragedy.