Two people died and several were trapped after a hotel building partially collapsed Tuesday night in the German town of Kröv, a town on the Mosel River about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Frankfurt in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Rescue workers told a press conference late Wednesday morning that a woman in her sixties and a man whose body has not been recovered were killed in the collapse.
Emergency workers said that they had managed the “very difficult” task of rescuing four people from the rubble, including a two-year-old child and its parents.
Another person was rescued later on Wednesday afternoon, leaving one person still trapped.
Rescue workers said they were in contact with the person via a microphone, that the site was stable, and that they hoped to reach the person by sunset.
“We have to proceed with caution,” said local district fire and disaster control inspector Jörg Teusch, comparing the structure to a house of cards. “If we pull on the wrong card, the building is sure to collapse.”
He also said that the hotel had been undergoing some renovations, but it was unclear if that was what had caused the collapse.
He added that drills were used to bore into the collapsed structure, allowing microphones to make contact with those buried in the rubble.
Prosecutors in the nearby city of Trier announced an initial investigation into the incident, but stressed that this was routine whenever people have died not of natural causes.
What we know so far
Local residents notified police about the incident around 10:55 p.m. local time on Tuesday night.
Pictures from the scene showed damage to the back of hotel “Reichsschenke Zum Ritter Götz,” with debris on the ground. The building in one of Germany’s biggest wine-growing regions dates back to the 17th century.
“Several people were able to leave the building on their own and are being looked after by emergency services and counselors,” police said Wednesday morning.
Police said 14 people had been in the building when one story collapsed. Five were able to get out unhurt.
The rescue efforts are “very difficult,” police said, as the building’s structure remains unstable. Some 250 emergency workers were on the scene.
Public broadcaster SWR said local fire brigade teams were initially not able to enter the building because of the risk that the structure could cave in fully.
Some 30 people in neighboring buildings were also evacuated given the risk of damage a complete collapse could inflict on its surroundings.
The Mosel region is popular summer tourist destination, with its picturesque vineyards and castles.
rm,es,mf/wmr (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)
