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CatastropheGermany

Germany: 2 dead, several trapped, after hotel collapse

August 7, 2024

Rescue work is ongoing after a hotel partially collapsed in Kröv, a small town on the Mosel River in western Germany's winegrowing region. It is not yet clear what caused the collapse.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jBbo
The hotel in Kröv, with parts of it quite visibly damaged
The hotel is located in a region popular with tourists Image: Florian Blaes/dpa/picture alliance

At least four people are believed to be trapped, and two people have died under rubble, after a hotel building partially collapsed Tuesday night in Kröv, a town on the Mosel River about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Frankfurt in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. 

Rescue workers told a press conference late Wednesday morning that a man and a woman were killed in the collapse. 

A yellow crane near a collapsed hotel in Kröv, Germany
A crane has been deployed at the site of a collapsed hotel Image: Harald Tittel/dpa/picture alliance

Earlier, emergency workers had 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.

Three people remain trapped in the rubble and are believed to be seriously injured.

"The entire building structure is like a house of cards," local district fire and disaster control inspector Jörg Teusch told reporters. 

A woman pulled from a window as rescue workers stand by
A woman pulled from the collapsed building Wednesday morning. More than 200 rescue workers have been deployedImage: Harald Tittel/dpa/picture alliance

He added that drills were used to bore into the collapsed structure, allowing microphones to make contact with those buried in the rubble. 

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.

"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. 

Fire brigade teams were dispatched after local residents alerted police
Fire brigade teams were dispatched after residents alerted police at around 11 p.m. Tuesday nightImage: Florian Blaes/dpa/picture alliance

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.

Tree branches and splintered wood at a collapsed hotel building
People in neighboring buildings were evacuated Image: Christian Schulz/Foto Hosser/dpa/picture alliance

Some 30 people in neighboring buildings were also evacuated given the risk of damage a complete collapse could inflict on its surroundings.

It is not yet clear what caused the building to collapse. 

The Mosel region is popular summer tourist destination, with its picturesque vineyards and castles.

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