Germany: 2 dead, several rescued, after hotel collapse

Two people died and several were left 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 60s and a man whose body had not been recovered were killed in the collapse. 

Last survivor freed from rubble late on Wednesday

Emergency workers said that they had managed the "very difficult" task of rescuing four people from the rubble, including a 2-year-old child and its parents.

Two more people were rescued later on Wednesday, and the seventh and final trapped survivor was pulled from the rubble to applause late on Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the fire service said. 

Rescue workers said prior to the woman's rescue that they had been in contact with her via a microphone and had been able to provide her with fluids, that the site was stable, and that they had hoped to reach her 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."

The second victim's body known to lie under the rubble is yet to be recovered and rescue workers did not expect to reach it during Wednesday's operations. 

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 the use of 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 the 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 relatively quickly, police said, as they were in "unaffected parts of the building." Seven more were pulled from the rubble alive in the course of Wednesday and two are known to have died. 

The rescue efforts were "very difficult," police said, as the building's structure remained 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 a popular summer tourist destination, with its picturesque vineyards and castles.

rm,es,mf/wmr (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)