Two killed in hotel collapse in Germany – DW – 07/08/2024

Two people were killed and two others are still buried after a hotel collapsed on Tuesday night (06/08) in the town of Kröv in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

According to police, there were 14 people at the scene when one of the two floors of the building collapsed. Five of them managed to get out unharmed and five others were pulled from the rubble – including a Dutch couple and their two-year-old son, who was rescued on Wednesday morning after more than ten hours.

According to emergency operations center spokesman Jörg Tosch, the two victims still buried are likely to be seriously injured. They are conscious and are maintaining contact via mobile phones and directional microphones installed through holes in the rubble.

The building’s structure remains unstable, making the rescue operation difficult, Tosh told reporters. Teams were unable to enter the scene immediately due to the risk of a greater tragedy. Since Tuesday night, the task force has deployed 250 people, aided by drones and police dogs.

The business could have collapsed.

The cause of the collapse has not yet been confirmed. One line of investigation is to analyze whether construction work that took place on Tuesday, just hours before the disaster, caused the collapse.

The building originally dates back to the 18th century and was extended by two floors in 1980.

“We have never faced a situation where a building collapsed like this,” Tosh said, according to the German newspaper. BuildHe compared, “If you draw the wrong card, the whole castle will collapse.”

Due to the risk of further collapses, 21 nearby residents were forced to leave their homes and are at the reception centre.

Kröv, in southwest Germany, is a wine town of just over 2,000 inhabitants on the banks of the Moselle River, famous for its Kröver Naked Arsch wine, and very popular with tourists.

GQ/LO (dpa, OTS)