Sri Lanka, Jan. 2 -- Amsterdam's Vondel Church, near one of the city's most popular parks, was largely destroyed in a fire just as New Year celebrations were in full swing, local media reported on Thursday.

The former Catholic Church's roughly 50-metre-high (164-feet) tower and the roof collapsed in the blaze, which an emergency services spokesperson said had made the 154-year-old structure "no longer salvageable."

"It is a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church," lamented Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema.

The blaze was first reported shortly after midnight and was quickly escalated to a major incident, with firefighters calling in assistance from other regions of the Netherlands.

The Dutch navy deployed its 60-meter-hi...